


Pearls & Knives

by jamesbvck



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Drugs, F/F, F/M, Family Issues, Fast Cars, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gang Violence, Guns, M/M, New York City, On the Run, Original Character(s), Pining, Secret Relationship, Sex, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-03-28 15:48:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13907259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamesbvck/pseuds/jamesbvck
Summary: Perhaps it was the thrill of it all. Opposite sides of the tracks; opposite sides of the financial scale. The bad boy with the motorcycle and the princess in the blacked out Mercedes. He had a quick temper but she was a pretty little thing with a sharp tongue. He had a reputation and yet, so did she. The situation was delicate but what was in fun in keeping things safe?But it wasn’t that simple.Sweet Pea wasn’t going to tell Veronica he was sitting in a car with beanie boy Jughead to pick up almost a half million dollars in cocaine to transport to a drug lord in Bay Ridge. And that her best friend Betty Cooper was sitting pretty surveilling the operation from FP’s auto shop. It was hard enough Veronica was left in the dark, he almost felt guilty. But he had to keep her safe.





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my new fic featuring SweetVee and Bughead! I hope you all enjoy this, it's going to be one wild ride. Please let me know your thoughts, feedback would be amazing!
> 
> Special thank you to the following lovely people: amanda (flannelfogarty). leelee (sweetpca), jandy (jandjsalmon), ella (bettsjuggjones) and tori (tory-b) for all being incredible helpers in different ways. I appreciate you all!

Perhaps it was the thrill of it all. Opposite sides of the tracks; opposite sides of the financial scale. The bad boy with the motorcycle and the princess in the blacked out Mercedes. He had a quick temper but she was a pretty little thing with a sharp tongue. He had a reputation and yet, so did she. The situation was delicate but what was in fun in keeping things safe?

“What time do the Count and Countess get in?”

Veronica breathed out a laugh. “Not until after lunch.” She hummed.

Sweet Pea’s thumb caressed Veronica’s bare shoulder. Their legs were intertwined underneath the silky sheets (Pima Cotton was the best as she always liked to remind him) and their bodies were pressed skin to skin. It was early, Sweet Pea guessed around seven-thirty. Four hours of sleep wasn’t going to kill him but at the same time, he could have instantly fallen back to sleep holding her.

Veronica combed back her dark hair, adjusting her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat, a steady rhythm that kept in time.

“Do you have to go?” She asked a moment later.

Sweet Pea shook his head. “Not unless you want me too.”

“Of course I don’t, Pea.”

A second later, she got up. Her warmth quickly disappeared and Sweet Pea desperately grabbed the duvet to cover himself from the cool air conditioning. Veronica sat on the edge of the bed, shrugging on Sweet’s Brunswick green flannel shirt. She did up a few buttons before standing.

“Where are you going?” he asked, propping the pillow under his head.

She waved him off, slipping out of her bedroom. She wandered down the hallway to the kitchen to make the morning brew. She put on a fresh pot and got two mugs from the cupboard. Her eyes were sleepy as she leaned against the counter, letting out a soft yawn. The smell of the hot coffee soon filled the air.

“Oh! Miss Veronica, I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Veronica looked over to see her family’s housekeeper Yesenia with a basket of freshly dried towels.

“You didn’t, Yesenia. I’ve been up for a little while.” She smiled bashfully, turning back to make the two coffees.

“I left some clean towels in your bathroom, an extra one for your friend,” Yesenia said. “Shall I order you two breakfast from Gianni’s? I saw his motorcycle in the guest space… I pray your Hiram and your mother won’t be back early.”

“My Mother will convince Daddy to stay on the white sands of St. Barts until the bitter end. I have no worries.” Veronica smiled at Yesenia, taking the coffee back to her room.

Sweet Pea had his phone in one hand and his other arm resting behind his head. He was watching some stupid viral video Fangs had sent him the night before. His eyes flickered to Veronica, taking a mug from her.

“Milk and--”

“Four sugars, which is absolutely revolting.”

He laughed, sipping the drink. She always made it perfectly.

“Yesenia’s worried my parents are going to arrive home early. I, however, know for a fact that it’ll take them fifty-two minutes with the midday traffic to get home.” Her tone was matter of fact, sitting back down on the bed.

“You’re certain about that? I won’t have to do a Mission Impossible escape again?”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “My concept of time is non-existent when a copious amount of alcohol is involved.”

“Especially when you bet Toni you can out drink her and ultimately fail.” He set the mug on the bedside table.

“That’s not fair!” She pointed at him. “I didn’t know she wasn’t drinking doubles and Fangs was ordering for me.”

Sweet Pea smirked. “Maybe you’re just a lightweight, babe.”

She leaned forward, shoving his shoulder. He grinned widely, carefully taking away her coffee and pulled her close.

“I hate you,” she grumbled.

“No, you don’t.”

Her faux grumpy exterior vanished quickly. “No, I don’t.” Veronica shifted to straddle his waist. Her palms rested on his chest as their lips connected in a feverish morning kiss. The second mug was set aside, Sweet Pea’s hands slid under the flannel moving up up her back and down again to toy with the lacy hem of her underwear. One of Veronica’s hands slipped down to his abdomen. Sweet Pea broke the kissed to attach his lips to her neck. She sighed, tilting her head to the side for him to have more surface area. Her body temperature increased with every kiss.

Sweet Pea pushed Veronica onto her back, working his way to undo the buttons. His focus diverted to her ringing on the other side of the bed. His eyes narrowed. “Who the hell is awake at 8am on a Sunday morning?” he growled.

“My well-educated guess would be the one and only, Betty Cooper.” Veronica rolled over to grab her phone. “She’s probably wondering if I made it home.” She waved her phone at him to show him that it was, indeed, Betty. “Good morning, B.”

“Are you home? We lost you last night.”

“I’m home and perfectly intact.” Veronica rested back down on her back. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he settled down to rest his chin on her chest. Veronica smiled at him, toying with his dog tags.

“Good, that’s good,” Betty replied. “You should have seen it, Fangs and Jug had a burrito eating contest. Toni and I were completely disgusted but it was amusing to watch.”

“Boys will be boys,” Veronica mused. “Who won the manly man contest?”

“Juggie, obviously.” Betty giggled. “You haven’t talked Sweet Pea have you?”

Sweet Pea’s brow arched, looking at Veronica. “Nope. I saw him flirting with a tall blonde last night and haven’t seen him since.”

It was partly true. Sweet Pea had been approached by a beautiful model-esque blonde girl at the bar and basically let her flirt with him. It did not sit well with Veronica for the majority of the night.

Betty hummed. “Okay, Fangs was worried about him. I guess he’ll turn up. Still on for a movie later?”

“Of course.”

They exchanged their goodbyes. Veronica put her phone aside as Sweet Pea was giving her an unimpressed expression. “I wasn’t flirting with her.”

“The jury says otherwise,” she countered.

“A jury of one is inconclusive, rewatch the tapes,” he said. “Would I be here right now if I was flirting with her?” She put her finger to her lips in a thought, squinting her eyes up at the ceiling. “ _Veronica_.”

Her shoulders shrugged. “You can talk to whomever you want to…”

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

Sweet Pea got off her, checking the time on his phone. He leaned over the side of the bed grabbing his white undershirt to tug over his head. He was a stubborn boy most days. Veronica brought herself up, sitting on her knees.

“Pea, stop.” She placed her hand on his arm. Sometimes-- most times-- she was jealous when another woman approached Sweet Pea. But Veronica had no right in stopping him from doing whatever he wanted. They were not exclusive, they had never talked about it. They had shared a cab home on the Fourth of July and that led to fucking around. It didn’t make sense to either of them but somehow it worked.

No one really knew they hung out one-on-one. It was new.

“My mom’s gotta go to work soon,” he spoke a moment later. Veronica nodded, he had told her that last night. She pulled back, letting him get up to finish getting dressed.

“Do you want this?” She motioned to his flannel still drape over her body.

Sweet Pea slid his phone into his jeans pocket, patting the other side to make sure he has his wallet. “Think I’ll be okay without it,” he replied. His leather jacket had been resting on the back of Veronica’s vanity chair. He slipped it on. It sat nicely on his broad shoulders.

Veronica walked with him to the front foyer. She didn’t really want him to go and she was kicking herself that she hadn’t jealousy at bay. Glancing in the hall mirror, she smoothed down her hair, looking back at Sweet Pea after. He sat on the plush sangria-coloured bench tying up his boots. She went ahead and stood in front of him. His head rose, peering up at her and placed his hands on her waist, squeezing gently. Veronica’s hands cupped his cheeks. For a long moment there was silence; a simple “don’t go” and “I don’t want to” stare. Sweet Pea reached up taking one of her hands and pressed a kiss to the palm.

“I’ll talk to you later.” He stood, adjusting his jacket. Veronica nodded, timid as she opened the door to watch him go. Sweet Pea glanced over his shoulder as he walked down to the hallway to the elevator. When he disappeared, Veronica quickly dashed over to the large bay windows that looked over the side street.

She began to count to fifty having timed out the elevator ride and how long it would take Sweet Pea to get his bike up and running. “Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven…” The engine of his motorcycle roared, echoing in the street as he pulled out of the parking garage. She clutched onto her pearls, peering out the window. Sweet Pea pulled into view, looking up to where he knew she’d be standing. He gave her a salute and Veronica knew he was smirking underneath that tinted helmet. She wiggled her fingers, watching him speed off.

Veronica settled down onto the cushioned window seat waiting until she couldn’t hear the motor anymore. They’d be fine, they’d text later and be over it before the night ended. All she wanted to do was talk to Betty about it but she didn’t want to break whatever trust she had with Sweet Pea. It was a confusing time.

At top speed, Sweet Pea swerved in and out of the busy streets of Manhattan. He was already running late, super late, and he knew he was never going to hear the end of it. He pulled into the gravel driveway of his childhood wartime home. Sometimes he missed living here and having homemade meals on the table every night. His mother’s old beat up station wagon was already gone from its spot. He put down the kickstand, cutting the engine and removed his helmet. The front door was unlocked and he let himself in.

“You’re late.”

Sweet Pea sighed, looking over at the dark wavy haired girl sitting on the floor with a few school workbooks in front of her. “I know.”

“Grandma’s upset.”

“ _I know_.” He shrugged off his jacket, hanging it up on the coat rack.

His niece, Poppy, was a feisty thing for a 12-year-old. “She’ll probably ground you.”

“I don’t think she can ground a twenty-three-year-old, Pops.” Sweet Pea opened the fridge. “Did you have breakfast?”

“I had some cereal.” Poppy stood up, wandering over to the kitchen. “Can you make waffles?”

“I can make the best waffles.”

He picked her up, setting her on the countertop. He took out the eggs, milk and everything else needed for the waffles. Poppy watched as her uncle whipped up the batter.

“Guess how many days until my birthday.”

“A thousand and four,” he joked.

Poppy giggled. “No, Pea! Twenty-two more days!”

“That can’t be right.”

“It is.” She nodded.” I have a calendar clock with a countdown and it says twenty-two.” She hopped off the counter and disappeared into her bedroom for a moment.

Sweet Pea made the first set of waffles, getting out plates for the table. The pre-teen returned with a small digital calendar clock.

“Press the green button,” she instructed, and he did. It switched from the current time to the date reading: October 23rd, 22 days.

“So you were right.”

“Duh, use your brain, Pea.”

“Why don’t you take that smart mouth and eat your breakfast.”

Poppy set her clock on the table, immediately digging into the waffles once she was settled. Sweet Pea finished up his batch and sat across from her. They were quiet, nothing but the clanking of utensils and the television in the background.

“Why were you late?”

“I overslept.”

“But you’re wearing the same clothes as yesterday.”

Sweet Pea looked down at himself. “How do you know?”

“I know a lot of things,” she quipped with a grin. He chuckled, shaking his head. “I bet there’s a girl. Is she pretty? Smart?”

“Why are you assuming there’s a girl? I have you and my mom, that’s good enough for me.”

Poppy rolled her eyes, resting her hand on her cheek. Sweet Pea was a caring individual for those who mattered to him the most. He took out his phone as it rang. Fangs name appeared on the screen. “Here.” He handed the phone to Poppy.

Her face lit up, answering the phone. “Hi, Fangs!”

“Pop Tart!” Fangs grinned from the other end of the phone. “What’s up? What are you doing?”

“Eating waffles,” she told him. “Pea made them.”

“Think there’s enough for me?”

Poppy looked at her uncle, holding the phone with two hands. “He can make more.

Sweet Pea gave his niece a look but he had a hunch that Fangs was going to sprint over here from their apartment.

“I’ll see you soon, kid,” Fangs said.

The phone call ended, Poppy handing the phone back. “Fangs is coming for breakfast.”

“I figured.” Sweet Pea folded his arms over his chest. Poppy had an innocent angelic smile plastered on her face along with a few sticky patches of syrup.

It was no less than ten minutes later that Fangs was walking through the front door. Poppy got out of her chair and Fangs scooped her up, twirling her around. She was slightly dizzy once she was placed back on the ground, regaining her balance by holding onto the door frame.

Fangs shrugged his jacket off as Poppy dragged him into the kitchen. “Fangs is here!”

“I am here,” he nodded, sitting down in one of the open chairs. “So you’re alive?” Fangs looked at his friend of nearly twenty years.

Sweet Pea’s face twisted. “Why is it that you start every conversation with ‘You’re alive’?”

“Because out of you, me, and Toni you’d probably be the first one dead.” Fangs helped himself to some waffles, pouring an ungodly amount of syrup on his pancakes.

“Not if you die of diabetes first.”

Poppy giggled, munching on her own food. Fangs shook his head. “How do you put up with this guy?” he asked Poppy with a wink.

“He’s okay sometimes,” she replied.

“What do you mean sometimes? Who made you waffles?” Sweet Pea narrowed his eyes at his niece. He knew she was joking around so it was fun to tease her back. Poppy was a sweet girl, full of life and innocence.

“Whatever.”

Fangs chuckled, Sweet Pea got up to make a few more waffles as well. “So where’d you go last night? You just disappeared.”

Pea shrugged, pouring the batter into the waffle maker. “I got bored.”

Fangs and Poppy shared an unconvincing exchange. “He’s lying,” Poppy whispered.

“I know,” he whispered back. “Veronica left pretty early too.” Fangs casually added, chewing on a piece of waffle.

“Who’s Veronica?” The little girl asked.

Sweet Pea turned back with a fresh waffle, sliding it onto his plate. “She’s Betty’s friend.”

Poppy nodded, slumping in her chair. She was too full, placing her hands on her stomach. “She must be nice if she’s Betty’s friend. I like Betty.”

“Betty’s a cool chick,” Fangs commented. “Veronica’s not too bad either.”

Sweet Pea didn’t engage in the conversation. He could often present himself as uninterested so maybe it’d be fine if he didn’t say anything. And it was working pretty well, however, he did catch a few of Fangs questioning glances.

Once breakfast was over, Poppy helped Sweet Pea put the dishes into the dishwasher. “Go finish your homework,” he suggested. “If you finish it now, you’ll have the rest of the day to do whatever you want.”

Poppy nodded, skipping to the living to continue her workbooks.

Fangs leaned against the counter, watching Poppy. “FP wants us in early tomorrow.”

“How early?”

“Six."

Pea internally groaned. Six in the morning wasn’t an ideal time considering he was still running on four hours of sleep and he didn’t know when his mother was going to get back. “Did he say why?”

“No. But your first three guesses are free.”

He half smirked, washing his hands-free of the maple syrup.

“What are you doing with Veronica?” Fangs asked a moment later. He had a hunch, in fact, both he and Toni had discussed the situation at length and had been fairly certain that there was something going on.

“Nothing.”

“It’s been three months, I don’t think that’s nothing. Toni and I--”

“Toni and you what?” Sweet Pea stood tall with a firm stance. “Talk bullshit behind my back? Assume shit?”

“Relax. You can do whatever you want. We’re just curious. And if you like her that’s cool, she’s cool.”

Sweet Pea ran his tongue along his bottom lip, glancing away from Fangs over to Poppy. She was preoccupied with her work and deafened by the television. He had a lot on his plate from taking care of his niece, being there for his mother, and working so the thought of a committed relationship was pushed so far into the back of his mind.  

“Can you watch her?” Sweet Pea asked Fangs.

Fangs nodded without question, going to sit down on the ground beside Poppy. Sweet Pea needed a shower and to fix up the light in his mother’s room he said he’d do three weeks ago. He disappeared into the bathroom turning the shower faucet to hot, stripping off his clothes. The water scorched his skin but it felt good. His head tilted forward into the stream of water with his eyes closed.

The two most important things in his life were Poppy and his mother, Katherine. He was the man of the family, he had priorities and complicating it with a relationship or whatever was not ideal. He was already angry with himself for thinking too much about Veronica.

He’d figure it out.

* * *

 

Fresh pastries and bright flowers were neatly presented on the marble kitchen island. Veronica welcomed her parents home with open arms. They exchanged loving embraces, cheek kisses, and without a doubt, a new diamond bracelet gifted in a matte black box.

“Mija, our condolences for being away for so long.” Hiram kissed Veronica’s forehead. “What do you think?”

Truth be told, Veronica had enough jewellery to fill a yacht. This was simply adding to it. She didn’t need it. However, she put on her best daddy’s girl smile.

“It’s beautiful, Daddy. Thank you.”

She took the box, giving him another hug. It was a sweet gesture, she even admired it for another moment. Yet in hindsight, she could recall every gift Hiram had given her for being absent due to the business. It was bittersweet.

_With every opportunity, sacrifices have to be made._

“We’ll all go for dinner tonight. Chez Marmo?” Hiram suggested, glancing at Hermione.

She nodded with a soft smile. “I’ll go make a reservation.”

Veronica took her new accessory and a salted caramel macaron to her room. She texted Betty about dinner with her parents and that their movie date would be pushed back to eight o’clock. Betty was completely fine with it, she was bringing the junk food. Veronica was excited, she and Betty mainly gossiped which was one of her favourite hobbies.

She set down her phone, tidying her room. She made her bed, picking up the flannel shirt that she had discarded to the floor when she got properly dressed. The fabric was soft between her fingers and it lingered of Sweet Pea’s cologne; woodsy, not too strong, sexy mixed with the leather of his jacket. She missed him liked a little girl missing her lost teddy bear. Part of her felt pathetic. Was it a legitimate crush or lonely issues?

A soft knock startled Veronica. She quickly scrambled to hide the shirt, stuffing it into her laundry basket.

“Ronnie, how were your two weeks?” Hermione entered with two teas; Abuela’s secret blend.

Veronica took the offered mug. “Admittedly uneventful, but I’m not mad about it. I got some reading done, answered a few emails, my closet is now organized by season and colour. And lastly, Diane did a fresh trim.”

Hermione sipped her tea. “Sometimes it’s best to do fewer things. Have you heard from Archie?”

Veronica internally groaned. She knew she should have suspected a turn in a light-hearted conversation. “I have not. From what I have heard he is doing well in Chicago.” In reality, she hadn’t had an update about Archie in over a month.

“You are a very strong woman, Mija.” Her mother set her hand on Veronica’s arm.

“To be honest, mom, seasons change and so do boys. Maybe Prince Charming isn’t red-haired and handsome. Maybe they’re the ones you least expect.”

Hermione arched a perfect brow. “Pray tell?”

Veronica shook her head. “No one. I am swearing off boys and going to focus on myself.”

Hermione gave an approving smile, smoothing down her daughter’s raven hair. “Dinner is at six. A car will be waiting at five-forty.” She got up, standing by the door.

“I’ll be ready,” Veronica promised. When the door fell closed, her eyes drifted over to the laundry basket and another thought of Sweet Pea popped into her mind.

She needed to figure this out.

Precisely at five-forty, Veronica was ready in her plum Sandro dress, a pair of dark pumps and her Prada handbag dangling delicately on her wrist. Hiram and Hermione were equally dressed to the nines; elegant and suave. Their car was waiting in the valet lane, door opened and ready to take them to the restaurant.

Veronica wasn’t sure why she was expecting something different other than business talk.

“Veronica, on our next business venture we would like you, as our legal officer, to be present,” Hiram informed. “We’re adding a new sector to Lodge Industries and need to make sure everything is to code.”

“Of course, Daddy. We can’t afford to let anything slip under the radar.”

Veronica sipped her Chardonnay, the second course being served at the table. Her mother and father were in their own political world. Sometimes Veronica wished they were a normal suburban family; Hiram with a blue collar job and her mother working at an office. Their main issue would be what greasy pizza joint they would order from for dinner. But she knew she had a lot to be thankful for.

Betty was waiting in the lobby’s of Veronica’s building as eight o’clock struck. Veronica was dropped off at the front door as her parents stayed in the car to attend a meeting.

“Hi, B,” Veronica greeted. Betty had her hands full with treats. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Is everything okay?” Betty followed her friend to the large brass and marble elevators. This place never ceased to amaze her.

“Yeah, you know, family business,” Veronica waved it off.

Betty watched as the numbers in the elevator rapidly changed. “I’ve told you this before but you can go out there and be your own person, V.”

Veronica unlocked the door once they arrived at her home. She slipped off her heels, walking towards her bedroom. Betty had a point. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted any part of Lodge Industries anymore.

“My mom asked me about Archie today. I’ve felt kind of off since she did,” she told Betty, turning on the light. “Have you talked to him?”

“Jughead did the other night. He sounds fine. I guess Reggie’s there, too. They’re roommates.” Betty set down the bags on Veronica’s bed, taking off her jacket.

“Two peas in a pod,” she mused. “I have two options: Clueless or I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

Betty smiled. “So funny or thriller. Let’s go with… Clueless.”

“Excellent choice!”

Veronica set up the movie for them on her TV, getting cozy in bed. Betty opened up the gummy bears to munch on those. She and Veronica had seen this movie so many times that there was no point in paying attention. They drifted into doing silly online quizzes and Veronica painting Betty’s nails. Sugar rushes and junk food comas were inevitable when you spent a night with your best friend.

“I wanna marry Jug,” Betty murmured as infomercials played on the TV. “I think I told him the other night after one too many rum and cokes.”

“What did he say?” Veronica propped herself up on her elbow.

Betty had her eyes closed, sleepy as it was nearing two in the morning. “I think he laughed then told me to go to sleep. He probably thought I was joking.”

Veronica smiled. “Betty, the boy is crazy about you. He has been since forever.”

“What twenty-two year old gets married?”

“Hey-- Princess Diana got married when she was twenty. Anything is possible, B. And you would make the best bride,” she assured her best friend.

Betty laughed softly. “He’s probably forgotten.” She let out a long yawn. “And I need to sleep.”

Veronica leaned over and grabbed the remote, turning off the TV. She settled into bed, closing her own eyes. “Betty Jones sounds pretty chic.”

Betty lazily hit her friend. Veronica simply smiled in the dark, falling asleep shortly after.

* * *

 

The sun was barely lighting up the world at six in the morning. Sweet Pea was certain he was still asleep but somehow had managed to get himself to FP’s auto shop with Fangs trailing in behind him.

“Morning sleepy heads!” Toni greeted them with two cups of coffee.

“Toni, you’re yelling,” Fangs mumbled, swiping the cup from her and slouched down on to the couch in the backroom. Toni rolled her eyes, sitting perched on a stool.

Sweet Pea rubbed his eyes, leaning back against the wall, one foot crossed over the other. The door swung open and shut again. “Jones, tell your dad that six in the morning meetings are for vampires.”

“I’m just as unamused as you are, Sweet Pea.” Jughead removed his hat, plopping himself beside Fangs. He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and the palms of the hands pressed into his tired eyes.

“Good, you’re all here.” FP’s rough voice shook the four more awake, alerted. He stood tall with his own eyes tired, a clipboard in hand as he looked at the youngsters. “Where’s Betty, Jug?”

“Veronica’s.” He replied. “I’ll fill her in later.”

Sweet Pea briefly glanced at Jughead.

FP nodded. “New shipment coming in tonight at 8pm by the docks. High buyers.”

“Isn’t everyone a _high_ buyer?” Fangs joked. Toni gave him a look, whereas FP simply ignored him.

“One crate is going to Indigo out in Bay Ridge,” FP said. “Sweet Pea and Jughead will go accept the shipment and take it to Indigo. Toni--”

“Will make sure Jughead’s ass doesn’t almost get beat to a pulp again,” she snickered, looking over at the younger Jones. He rolled his eyes. Sweet Pea and Fangs snickered.

“Fangs will be surveillance of the area. And Betty will be back here with me keeping track of you knuckleheads,” FP concluded. “Understood?” The four nodded. “Good, now clean up the shop. It’s a mess.”

They were reluctant to move. Toni was the first one up to flick on the overhead lights in the mechanic section. Fangs sat at the front desk, looking through the appointments that were scheduled. It seemed to be a pretty easygoing day. Sweet Pea took his paper coffee cup and sat at a small work desk, taking out his phone. It was too early but he sent a simple good morning note to Veronica so she had something nice to see when she woke up. His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You good?” Toni took the large broom that was resting against the wall beside his desk. He simply nodded. “Because you look like trash.”

“My mom didn’t get home until late, someone called in sick at the hospital,” he explained. “I was watching Poppy.”

Toni moved some of her pink hair over her shoulder. “Is she okay? Your mom?”

“Yeah, she’s fine just overworked.” He looked at her. “If we keep up with these high buyers I’ll get her enough money not to stress anymore. She needs a new washer and dryer so I’m working on that, and get Poppy a good birthday present.”

Toni gave a small smile. She admired Sweet Pea’s compassion for his small family. “And Veronica?”

His eyes darted away with his arms folding defensively over his chest; his jaw tight. Toni knew she was poking a bear with the question. “Newsflash, Sweets, you’re allowed to like the girl. Jughead and Betty aren’t going to give a shit.” She left it be, moving away to start sweeping the floors under the car lifts.

He let it go as well. That wasn’t important. What was important was the shipment and not getting complete and utterly fucked.


	2. Indigo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kinds words. I appreciate them all :)  
> Let me know what your thoughts of chapter 2?

The pavement was slick and shiny from the afternoon rain; the sun had dipped into the horizon over an hour ago leaving the dark sky and a large moon hanging over the populous city. Sweet Pea and Jughead had their eyes on the docks as they sat in a vintage Chevelle that had belonged to Sweet Pea’s grandfather. The time inched slowly to eight but no movement occurred. The radio hummed low as both boys sat in quiet.

“Update from Betty: Toni’s at Indigo’s and Fangs is in the area,” Jughead typed back on his phone. Pea nodded, looking at his own, dimming the brightness. He had two texts from Veronica. It wasn’t a good time considering her text was a generic  _ “What are you up to?” _

He wasn’t going to tell her he was sitting in a car with beanie boy to pick up almost a half million dollars in cocaine to transport to a drug lord in Bay Ridge. And that her best friend Betty Cooper was sitting pretty surveilling the operation from a safe distance. It was hard enough Veronica was left in the dark, he almost felt guilty.

Jughead nudged Sweet Pea, pointing to a few men loading out crates from an enormous storage container. Sweet Pea cut the engine, getting out of the car. The two walked towards the men, shoulders back and heads held high.

“Evening, gentlemen,” Sweet Pea greeted, he peered into the crate seeing dozens upon dozens of packages of cocaine. “Me and my boy are here for Indigo’s pick up.”

“Indigo you say?” The tall, bulky man with a backwards New York Yankees cap looked at his partner questionably. 

“That’s right,” Jughead piped in. “And I can guarantee if we don’t deliver within the next thirty minutes his guys will be rolling up.” He wasn’t exaggerating either. Indigo put them on time limits for no funny business.

The man laughed. “Relax on the petty threats, kid.” He led them into a container, patting the top of the crate. “This is Indigo’s. Hope you didn’t ride your bicycles.” He pried open the wooden lid with a nearby crowbar. Sweet Pea kept his face neutral while Jughead raised his brow almost to his hairline. It never failed to be amazed by a large quantity of white powder in front of you.

“Go get the car, Jug.” Sweet Pea tossed him the keys. He was briefly gone before they began to load in the shipment into bags in the trunk. 

“He’s watching us like a hawk.” Jughead murmured, rearranging the packages so they had enough room.

“Ignore him,” Pea replied, reaching down into the crate to retrieve the final packages. Jughead slammed down the trunk, turning back to look at the man. Sweet Pea extended a hand. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

The man didn’t budge, giving the boys a curt nod. There was a hint of awkwardness but for the most part, it was smooth. No one really fucked around once Indigo’s name was tossed in. They got into the Chevelle and Sweet Pea peeled off heading towards Brooklyn.

“Less traffic on Brooklyn Bridge compared to Manhattan,” Betty said over speaker phone a few moments later. “Fangs says there are a few more cars than usual.”

“On a Monday?” Jughead questioned.

“Apparently.” 

Sweet Pea made a quick lane change, already over the speed limit as they crossed over the bridge. “Tell him to keep his distance. Must be some new business on their end.” 

“Be careful. Toni should have more info later.” Betty was gone a moment later. Jughead glanced at Sweet Pea as he weaved in and out of lanes, veering off to the highway. 

Just off a side-street was a nightclub called Nighthawks. It was a dive yet there were always people there seven days a week. Off the books, Sweet Pea had been there a few times. The atmosphere was electric and you could disappear for a while. The drinks were cheap and the music was good. Sweet Pea pulled around to the side alley of the building, getting out with Jughead. Fangs was tucked away chatting up some girl at the corner diner, briefly making eye contact with them. 

Jughead yanked the door open, walking into the flashing techno coloured club. There was quite a crowd for a Monday night. The bass vibrated the floor and the walls, the wooden floor was sticky with drinks from 2006. He and Sweet Pea maneuvered their way through the club to the back. Two large, burly men stood in front of a door, guarding the back room. The men knew who Sweet Pea and Jughead were, so without a word, one of the men stepped aside and opened the door. Sweet Pea brushed aside bead curtains walking into the blue hue room. It was ultra lux with suede couches, a ridiculous disco ball hanging from the ceiling. There were several of Indigo’s boys hanging around with drinks in hand, marijuana smoke circling in clouds above their heads. There were only brief glances towards the two of them. Toni was perched on a stool at the bar in the back corner, tipping a half glass of Bourbon to them. 

Indigo sauntered out of a small side room with a girl in some lacy white lingerie. He was tall, only a touch shorter than Sweet Pea, a deeper complexion with a mid fade and short curls coloured a blue-ish shade (hence the name Indigo). He wore grey Adidas sweatpants and a Michael Jordan All-Star jersey circa 1996. Both arms were covered in tattoos. He was also Toni’s cousin. 

“Look who showed up! On time, too.” Indigo had a wide grin, walking over to Jughead and Sweet Pea. “T, you still hanging out with these fools?”

She smirked. “They couldn’t function without me.” 

Jughead rolled his eyes. “What’s good, Jones? Still with that pretty lady of yours? Tell her to come ‘round.” Indigo took a drink off the nearby table, taking a long swig. 

At first glance, you’d think Indigo was just a punk ass guy with the ego the size of Texas. But the deeper you got involved, the more was unveiled and it could get gruesome.

Jughead wasn’t amused in the slightest, folding his arms firmly over his chest; face stone cold.  “Want your stuff or not?”

Indigo chuckled. “Relax, bro.” He turned, motioning for two of his sidekicks to go out and get his white snow. 

“Trunk’s open,” Sweet Pea commented. “Don’t touch anything else.”

“Sweet Pea, my man.” Indigo placed his arm over Pea’s shoulders, guiding him to the bar. “Get what you’d like, it’s on me.” Sweet Pea wasn’t in the mood to drink but he ordered a beer to please Indigo. Jughead slumped into a stool next to Toni. “We need to get you a girl.”

Pea half laughed. “Nah, I’m good.”

“Good as in you already have some ass to grab?” Indigo asked. Toni turned away, sipping her drink silently. Sweet Pea took a sip of his drink, shrugging. “Ay, okay. I see you.” He laughed loudly. “Sweet Pea doesn’t fuck and tell. One girl? Respect.” 

He had forgotten about Veronica up until this very moment. Veronica and the life he led behind closed doors were not to mix, it was too tricky. He pushed her out of his mind again as Indigo’s men returned. 

“We squared?” Indigo asked them. 

“All there and good.” One of them, Cypress, replied with a nod. 

“Suppose you boys need to get paid, huh?” Indigo removed a large Jackson Pollock painting off the wall to reveal a safe. No one dared to make eye contact as he punched in the code, unlocking the door. There were stacks upon stacks of cash, passports, jewellery and burner phones. Indigo started to set the stacks on the bar top, counting them out. “Don’t spend it all in one place.”

The door opened with one of the bouncers walking in. “They’re here.”

Indigo nodded. “Thanks for stopping by boys. Do me a favour and take my cousin on home.” 

Toni raised a brow. She normally got to stay and see who his new dealings were with because realistically it didn’t matter to her, and it gave them insight. So it was odd he was telling her to go home. “I can wait out in the bar,” Toni suggested.

“Nah. Not this time, T. It’s hypersensitive,” Indigo replied.

“Fine.” Toni shot down the rest of her drink, sliding off the stool. Sweet Pea didn’t bother with his beer, collecting the cash and handing some to Jughead. 

The three left the club, piling into the Chevelle. Toni’s face was scrunch in thought. “What the fuck is he doing?” she asked no one in particular. 

Sweet Pea backed out of the alley. There were two blacked out SUVs sitting outside of the club causing them to gain suspicion. “He better not be fucking around with some El Chapo-type motherfucker,” she added. 

They drove by Fangs who was sitting on his motorcycle, putting on his helmet to follow them back to FP’s auto shop. “I doubt it’s that bad,” Sweet Pea said a moment later. “Maybe he doesn’t want you to be there because they can use you against him if something falls through the cracks.”

Toni still wasn’t impressed with the situation but she let it go for now. Fangs motorcycle roared as he drove parallel to them. He gave them the middle finger before ripping on the throttle, his front wheel popping and he sped off. 

“What an asshole,” Pea commented as Jughead laughed. Sweet Pea shifted gears, pushing down on the gas pedal. If Fangs wanted to race, they’d race.

“Get ‘em Sweets!” Toni encouraged.

Fangs had the advantage of swerving in and out of cars and tight spots. Nonetheless, it was a thrilling race to the bitter end. Fangs, of course, made it back to the shop first. Sweet Pea pulled up, stopping just an inch or two away from his friend. Fangs cursed at Pea, slamming his fist down on his hood of the car.

“Could have killed me!”

“Quit being dramatic,” Toni teased, climbing her way out from the back seat once Jughead got out, patting Fangs’ shoulder as he wandered inside. 

Sweet Pea pulled his phone out of his phone seeing Veronica’s name appearing on the screen. He sighed. “Here.” He handed Fangs the extra money he had to bring in so they could divvy it up. “My ma’s calling me.” 

Fangs nodded, taking it from him. Sweet Pea walked a few feet away from the shop, answering the phone. “Hey.”

“Forget how to work a phone?” Veronica asked. She didn’t sound annoyed but there was a small sting in her tone.

“I’ve been sure busy today with work at the shop and other stuff that came up.” Sweet Pea rubbed the back of his neck. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” she huffed softly. “Betty’s busy apparently having dinner with Jughead and his dad.”

Sweet Pea turned around looking through the window seeing Jughead and Betty sitting on the old couch as FP was counting the money they had got from Indigo. “Oh yeah, I heard about that,” he lied. 

Veronica let out a soft sigh on her end of the phone. “My mother took her sleeping pills so she’ll be KO’d the rest of the night and my dad is at his poker night, won’t be home until super late…” The left side of her bed was cold and empty.

A slow smirk formed on Sweet Pea’s lips, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “Black or the white lace see through one?” He asked.

“Plum, actually. It’s new. Got it this afternoon.”

After another moment, his smirk disappeared. “I can’t,” he told her and he could practically hear the disappointment from Veronica. “What are you doing tomorrow? Let me take you to lunch.”

“Lunch?” she questioned, sitting up in bed. “You want to take me to lunch?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Do I get to choose the restaurant?”

“As long as I don’t have to dress up like a clown.”

Veronica snickered. “You’d look good in a suit, Pea.”

FP entered the backroom from his office where Toni and Jughead were counting through the money. He glanced over seeing Sweet Pea on the phone outside. “What’s he doing?”

“Talking to his mom.” Fangs opened a fresh bag of Twizzlers, biting on one as he lounged in the worn down leather armchair. 

“Toni was saying Indigo has someone new he’s dealing with,” Betty told FP. “But she couldn’t stay to see who it was.”

Toni nodded, looking up at FP. “He’s never done that. We usually know where he distributes his product but this does not seem right.” 

Indigo was her cousin, her family so she had a right to be worried about his well being and who the hell he was making deals with. FP folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall. He was just as intrigued as the kids were but it was definitely something they couldn’t pry into without there being serious consequences. 

“Keep your ears open,” FP told Toni. He couldn’t let these rascals get in even more danger then they were now.

Sweet Pea walked through the door after he and Veronica had solidified lunch plans for tomorrow. There was the tiniest hint of a smile that only Toni and Fangs caught, both glancing at each other.

“Pearls?” She mouthed to Fangs. He nodded, eating another piece of licorice. Pearls had been their code name for Veronica. It started off as a joke to annoy Sweet Pea but it was slowly becoming a thing between the three of them. Betty’s brows furrowed at the exchange between Fangs and Toni.

“How’s your mother?” FP asked Sweet Pea. “She doing well?”

“She’s fine,” Sweet Pea swiftly replied with a nod. “How’s it looking?” He stole the of package of Twizzlers from Fangs’ hands, sitting down on the swivel chair in the corner. 

Jughead slid him a stack. “We’re all even, the rest is going toward fixing up the shop.”

“We eatin’ good tonight boys! And ladies.” Fangs leaned forward and scooped up the stack for him, fanning out the money. 

Betty placed her share in her backpack. Her cut was slightly smaller than the rest, but it hardly mattered when she and Jughead mixed their earnings for their apartment. “Ready?” She smiled at Jughead, placing a hand on his knee. He nodded, getting up with her to go home.

“Need a ride, Mr. Jones?” Betty offered. 

Gratefully, FP accepted, grabbing his jacket out of his office. “Lock up before you leave, and turn out the lights,” he told the other three. 

Toni got up, grabbing a drink from the mini fridge for herself once they were left alone. “I can’t shake this bad feeling.”

“About your cousin?” Fangs asked.

She nodded, taking a sip of her drink. 

“Toni, you don’t know. He’s trying to protect you like we would protect you.” Sweet Pea said. “Just wait it out and see what happens.”

“But  _ you  _ don’t know either. He’s already fucked if he gets caught and so are we. So if it’s bad shit he’s courting with then everything is ultimately fucked.” Toni’s tone had risen a few notches. “We’re all here for a reason, doing this for a reason: so we can have a better life and support the people we care about. We went from nothing to something, remember? That can all go away again.”

Fangs sighed. She did have a valid point. He was able to help his mother get a better home and all the things she ever wanted. His younger brother was going to go off to a decent college next year and Fangs himself was in good shape with a nice apartment he shared with Sweet Pea. If anything went sideways, he would let his family down. He didn’t want that. 

Sweet Pea fiddled around with the wolf ring around his left middle finger. It was true, they all had people they cared about. After a pad of silence, he stood up, collecting his earrings. “We’ll figure it out. For now, there’s nothing to do, alright? Go home, get some sleep.” 

“You guys go, I’ll lock up.” Toni nodded. 

Fangs patted Toni’s arm as they walked past her to go. “She’s going to snoop around,” he said once they were outside. 

“We can’t really stop her. She does what she wants.” Pea shrugged, digging the car keys out of his pocket. “She has her right to be suspicious and it is pretty fucking weird if you think about it.”

Fangs nodded, grabbing his helmet off his bike. “Need smokes? I’m going to stop at the store.”

“Sure.” He opened the car door, getting into the car. “And an _Oh Henry_.” Fangs gave him a thumbs up, heading on his way. Sweet Pea ventured home.

  
  


He was in early the next morning. Sometimes he liked being in the shop by himself during the silence to work on a few things and simply enjoy the peace. It often cleared his mind from all the chaos that occurred around him. The radio hummed low. He changed out a set of tires on a car that was hoisted up on the lift. Some early birds were already putting on their winter tires even though it was still the beginning of October. 

Betty unlocked the back door, wandering inside with her morning coffee and breakfast. Typically she was the first one here. She always kept this place in the best of shape, something that FP appreciated tremendously. It also gave her the opportunity to catch up on her online classes. Her brows furrowed as she heard some rattling and the radio on. Betty set her things down by the front desk, wandering towards the sounds. 

“You’re early, extremely early.” She smiled, peaking around the tall red tool chest to look at Sweet Pea. 

He glanced over. “You’re early too.”

“But I’m always early.”

Sweet Pea nodded. “I have to go somewhere at lunch so I figured it’d be easier to come in early and get a few things done.”

Betty stuck her hands in the back pockets of her overalls, looking up at the old Honda Civic. “Did you eat breakfast?”

“Does eating an _Oh Henry_ count?”

She blinked at him, Sweet Pea exchanging a socket for a different size in one of the drawers. She disappeared for a moment and returned with her paper bag from the local coffee shop down the street. “Do you want the muffin or the bagel?”

“What kind of muffin?”

“Blueberry.” He held out his hand and she gave it to him. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” she hummed gently.

“Is it, though?” Sweet Pea took the muffin, going to sit down to eat it.    
  
Betty followed, taking out her bagel to eat. “There are studies proving it on the internet.”

“So, if it’s on the internet then it must be true.”

She gently backhanded his arm. “Shut up.”

Sweet Pea and Betty had only hung out one-on-one a handful of times. In his honest opinion, she was a pretty cool girl. She was smart and realistic but wound kind of tight. She had a strong mindset and fit well to their little messed up group of hooligans. It would almost feel weird if she left them. They briefly chatted while they ate their breakfast. Sweet Pea made a mental note to buy a treat for Betty in return.

Slowly but surely, the others began to trail into work. Fangs was always the late one with no real explanation and FP had given up on reprimanding since it was useless. By the time lunchtime rolled around, Sweet Pea was out the door and on his way to pick up Veronica. 

Today, she was wearing a white fitted short sleeved shirt with a black suede skirt. She held her autumn jacket in her arms along with her handbag as she waited for Sweet Pea out front. Luckily, Hermione and Hiram were at their own lunch meeting.

Veronica hummed to herself as she waited, checking her phone every now and then. She was suspecting him to be on his motorcycle but seeing the slick old Chevelle roll up made her raise a brow. She walked down the few steps taking a long look at the car: the dark grey colour with two white racing stripes running along the hood. She was impressed, the engine was rumbling and it was shiny as hell. Veronica opened the passenger door, slipping into the seat. The leather of the seats was in pristine condition. 

“American muscle,” Veronica commented. “I like it.”

Sweet Pea half smirked, putting the car back into drive. “Thought you would.” He peeled off onto the main road as Veronica directed him to the restaurant she had chosen. He was slightly pissed off how much the parking was though he shouldn’t have been surprised, it was Manhattan after all. After last night, though, he at least had the money to deal with it. 

Veronica led the way down the street to a modernized building with gigantic windows. The closer they approached, the more uneasy Sweet Pea got. This place looked like it was for the folks on Wall Street, he was most definitely not Wall Street. 

“Veronica--”

“You’re fine,” she quickly reassured. She turned on her heel, looking up at him. 

“There’s an entire table with balding middle-aged men wearing suits,” he retorted. 

Veronica grinned, resting her hand on his arm. Sure, he was wearing his typical flannel with the sleeves rolled up, his jeans, boots and today a cut off vest. “It doesn’t matter, relax.” She took his hand to led him inside. 

“Miss Lodge, good afternoon.” The hostess greeted with a welcoming smile. “Your table is ready.”

“Thank you, Annemarie.”

_ Fucking great _ , Sweet Pea thought. This was familiar territory for her and here he was walking in looking like some punk from the Bronx. Okay-- He  _ was  _ some punk from the Bronx. Sweet Pea the punk ass kid from the Bronx.

They were led to a table with a white tablecloth, a wine glass, a water glass, two spoons, two forks and a butter knife. There was also a small bouquet of flowers in between the salt and pepper shakers and a lengthy drink menu. God, he was in way over his head and way underdressed for this shit. Veronica draped her coat over the back of the leather dining chair, sitting down and smoothing out her skirt. Sweet Pea took the seat across from her as Annemarie set the menus down in front of him.

“Don’t pay attention to anyone else,” Veronica told him. “This is one of my favourite places. They even have pizza on the menu.”

Sweet Pea knew she was trying to make him feel better, so he decided to not let it bother him. Besides, pizza did sound appealing to him. He stuck with a water since eventually, he’d have to go back to work later on. Veronica ordered a Mojito mocktail, neatly folding her hands on the table. 

“What year is the car?”

“‘72. It was my grandfather’s for a while then my dad had it. I fixed it up quite a bit but it’s sat around for a long while.” Pea skimmed through the menu. The pages were thick white cardstock, embroidered with the logo of the restaurant in cursive at the top of each page. 

Veronica smiled. She admired him for keeping something so special and making it his own. They never deep dived into their personal lives too much, although just from assumption he probably knew more about her then she did about him. 

“So what other things came up after work?” 

Ideally, Sweet Pea was hoping Veronica wasn’t going to question about his night. Yet he shouldn’t have been surprised when she did. “I had to help my mom around the house, fix some things. Her washer is on its last legs I think. She needs a new one soon.” 

He glossed over it but she seemed pleased with the answer. The waiter brought them a basket of bread and took their order as well: a southern cobb salad for the lady and a Diavola personal pizza for the boy. Sweet Pea placed the rim of the glass to his lips to sip the water, his eyes flickered from Veronica’s eyes to somewhere a bit lower.

There was a small mischievous smirk forming. “What did you say last night? Plum and lacy?”

Veronica quirked a brow. “Pardon?”

He chuckled, tipping his glass to her as he pointed. “Your shirt is kinda see-through, babe.”

She looked down from herself. It was a thinner material since it was still warm out in the city but it hadn’t occurred to her that it was  _ that _ transparent. “Well, it’s a good thing those balding middle-aged men are sitting behind us. No free sneak peaks for them.” Veronica extended her leg under the table, her open toe heels steadily gliding up the side of Sweet Pea’s leg. 

He hooked his boot around her ankle when her foot slid back down. He hated when she didn’t shit like that and most times it was as innocent as a certain arm touch. She’d do it all the time when the group of them were out - just to get him going. Sweet Pea guided her foot away but she was already satisfied with the impact she had made. Veronica prided herself on having a special touch. His dark brown eyes narrowed at her; she smiled sweetly, her head tilting to the side. 

“Don’t.”

“Why not?”

Sweet Pea sucked his teeth making a high pitched unimpressed noise as he looked away from her. Lucky for him, their meals came shortly after. Frustration aside, Veronica and Sweet Pea ate their food with conversation. She had suggested they all go out this weekend again, she was going to suggest it to Betty and see where that went. 

“Any dessert, coffee, tea?” The waitress asked both of them. Sweet Pea passed and Veronica was full. She set the bill down on the table. Veronica reached out but Sweet Pea quickly grabbed it before she had the chance.

“I got it,” he said, taking out his wallet.

“Are you sure?”

Sweet Pea thumbed through some of the cash he had put in his wallet. He tossed out a few onto the table, leaving a nice tip as well. Veronica’s brows rose catching a glimpse. She could have sworn the other day he only had maybe twenty bucks and now it was twenty times that. 

“I’m sure.” He got up, sliding the wallet into the back pocket of his jeans. Veronica pushed herself out from the table, taking her purse and her coat. “I asked you to lunch, therefore I pay.”

“I wasn’t trying to insult you. I know you’re capable of being a gentleman even if you don’t want others to notice.” Veronica walked with him to the doors. In a sense, she was wondering if this was some type of a real date or two acquaintances having lunch because they had a connection. 

Her phone buzzed in her purse as they walked back to his car. Archie Andrews name flashed across the screen with a simple, yet heart racing text:  _ Hey Ronnie. Checking in, how are you? _

“What’s up?” Sweet Pea had his car door open, resting his arm on the frame as he looked over at her. 

Veronica looked up, clutching her phone. Her heart rate increased instantly, though she kept her composure locked. “Nothing. Unnecessary family business dramatics.” She opened the door and got into the car. She buried her phone into the bottom of her purse to ignore it for now. Four months with no speaking and now he was trying to waltz back in so easily? Veronica was not about this.

Her hands gripped the handles of her purse the entire way home. She could feel her bag buzz again as a reminder she had a text waiting for her. Sweet Pea rolled to a stop in front of her building, putting the gear in park. His arm rested over the back of the passenger’s seat. He was observant and he could see something was irritating Veronica, yet he knew not to push her because she would push back just as much as he would. 

“I’ll talk to you later,” he said. “Probably just be hanging around with Fangs and Toni.”

Veronica nodded, resting back against the headrest and turned to look at him. She reached out, idly playing with his dog tag. It was a habit she was slowly forming; reading the worn down name and date that had been his father. She lightly tugged on the neck, bidding him to lean towards her. Veronica placed a lengthy deep kiss to Sweet Pea’s lips. He took his hand off the steering wheel and cradled her neck, sinking his teeth into her lower lip. The hand on the back of the seat dropped to her thigh, slipping under her skirt with his fingertips gliding up her thigh. 

It was only a mere second later Veronica pulled away, leaving Sweet Pea praying for another moment with her lips. “I have to go, and you have to go back to work.”

“ _ And? _ ” he asked, blinking at her. 

Veronica laughed charmingly. “Call me later.” She let herself out of the car, wiggling her fingers in his direction as she walked up the steps. The front doors opened for her by the doorman and she disappeared inside. 

Sweet Pea ran his fingers through his hair, sighing with annoyance and now he was uncomfortable. His head shook, muttering under his breath as he took off to head back to the shop.

Veronica sunk into the elevator, alone and her phone in hand again. The stupid text from Archie was still there, not an illusion of the brain. Her fingers swiped away the text, immediately pressing on Betty’s name. “B, I need you here now. This is an all-out girl emergency.”


	3. Four Months

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's take a small trip back in time, shall we?  
> Comments/feedback much appreciated! :)

_June 3rd, Four Months Ago_

Everyone had something going for them in New York other than Archie. He had grown tired of working for Andrews Construction. When his father got sick, he’d had put music on the back burner for a long while. For two years Fred Andrews was in and out of the hospital, seeking new treatments and tests. It was exhausting but thankfully, one day that came to an end when their doctor cleared Fred of cancer. It was a joyous day. Now Archie wanted to take his life back and go to school for music. The only school that accepted him was Chicago where his mother lived, and his good friend Reggie Mantle happened to be there on a basketball scholarship. Everything seemed to be going to plan.

When his girlfriend Veronica found out, she was supportive and caring. If Archie wanted to go out to the Midwest he could and she would be his long-distance cheerleader. The flipside was, they hadn’t been on the same page for some time. She knew people grew apart but it didn’t hurt any less. When Archie went for a weekend to check out the school, she knew to be wary of Reggie and his partying ways. Veronica and Reggie had never truly seen eye-to-eye throughout high school. With Archie slowly pulling away, she only could expect the worst.

Veronica sat with Betty in Oliver’s, a bar the group liked to go to for drinks that were dirt cheap and had a pool table and darts. “I have a bad feeling, B,” she said, nursing her rum and coke.

“Look, I’ve known Archie since I was three. I’m sure he’s just busy with the school tour and catching up with his mom.” Betty smiled reassuringly, squeezing her friend’s hand. “And you guys have been together for years. You have a bond. That’s important.”

Veronica wasn’t sure if that bond was strong enough. Even before he left, she could tell when Archie was checking out another girl or uninterested in their conversation. Could she blame him for wanting to go out and find himself, discover more of who he was? No. She couldn’t. Perhaps they were at that age, too. The world was so vast and unexplored by them. Veronica hit the home button of her phone. No messages, just the time, date and a picture of her and Archie from Christmas.

Sweet Pea sat at the corner of the bar. He had been watching as Fangs and Toni were playing darts. He was ideally stabbing his knife into the worn down countertop making little divots into the old wood. His mind was preoccupied with watching Betty and Veronica talk, he knew it was about Archie. He had never got on too well with Veronica’s boyfriend. There was silent respect because of Jughead but nothing too much more than that. In recent months, he had noticed a difference in Veronica. Perhaps he had been paying more attention to her, but he couldn’t help but notice that sometimes when she was quiet at the table, and other times she could easily carry on conversations. She could attract attention simply by blinking. It was almost annoying too.

“Hey, Knives. Stop fucking up my bar.”

He glanced over looking at the long auburn haired lady behind the bar. She was smiling, though, drying a freshly cleaned glass from the dishwasher.

“Denise, you know he doesn’t have manners.” Toni placed her empty glass on the table beside her.

Denise laughed. “Of course. Just like how he used to destroy the house when I would babysit.”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. He was not a terror child, but at eight years old, if Fangs had been over, then God knows what they got into. Smiling fondly at him, Denise set a new beer in front of Sweet Pea, going to tend to the other side of the bar. Toni parked herself on the stool next to her beanstalk friend.

“I have a suggestion,” she said.

“About what?”

“If you take a picture of the Queen of Spades, it’s going to last way longer and you won’t burn a hole through her with your creepy intense staring.”

Fangs chuckled, flinging a dart at the board. It just missed the bullseye. Pea snarled taking a long gulp of his beer, setting it back down on the coaster. “You both can fuck off, that’s my suggestion.”

“Fangs, pull up the records. When was Sweets last crush?”

“I think it might have been Annie Lemington in the seventh grade.” Fangs yanked the darts out of the board, walking back over to the line. “She was the one with the long brown curly hair and the freckles.”

Toni grinned. “I remember her. She was pretty cute. You made her a Valentine’s Day card and got her Hershey Kisses, it’s all coming back to me now. Fangs ate the chocolate.”

“I didn’t realize it was for her. Everyone knows how I feel about chocolate.” Fangs flung a dart. “Besides, Sweet Pea was way too shy and Annie was out of his league big time. Then she started ‘going out’ with Cameron Granderson.”

Sweet Pea was in an overall irritated mood today and his friends being childish weren’t helping in the slightest. He flipped off the two of them, ripping away the plastic of a new pack of cigarettes before going out the side door. Lighting his smoke, Sweet Pea paced around a small part of the sidewalk. His head was lowered, kicking a rock to the road with his large boot.

“Hey.” Jughead walked towards him donning his _S_ t-shirt and a flannel tied around his waist. Pea glanced up, nodding to him with a half-assed side fist bump in the means of a hello. “Is Betty here?”

Pea nodded again, a stream of smoke leaving his mouth. “She’s in there with Princess Ann.”

Jughead smirked. “Does that make you Joe Bradley?”

“Absolutely not,” he scoffed. The other boy chuckled, yanking open the red door and walking into the bar. Sweet Pea shook his head, his thumb and index finger gliding across his forehead.

A moment later the door swung open again. Veronica walked out with her heels clicking on the concrete, her phone clenched in her perfectly manicured hands. She looked frazzled; her mind preoccupied with the thoughts of her ginger beau in a far-off land.

“Where you goin’, Hepburn?”

Veronica turned on her heel. Her eyes were icy and she was agitated, presumably not his doing.

“If you must know, I’m going home.” Veronica flicked her hair over her shoulder. “You do know that smoking is going to kill you.”

He flicked some ashes away. “We’re all going to die one day. Might as well speed up the process.”

Veronica wasn’t sure if he was joking or not but she rolled her eyes anyways. It was interesting to her, Sweet Pea smoked—not as often as he did in high school— but somehow the smell never lingered for too long. Usually, his fragrance was the smell of leather, the oil from his motorcycle or FP’s dingy auto shop. Veronica's phone began to ring. Archie’s face and name popped up on her phone.

“Ed Sheeran’s calling,” Pea pointed out.

Veronica gave him an unamused look, answering the phone. “Archiekins,” she greeted cheerily.

“Hey, Ronnie,” Archie replied. There was loud music in the background with laughter and conversations. “You remember how I said I’d be home tomorrow?”

“Yes, I remember. Tomorrow afternoon.”

“Yeah— I think I might stay. My mom’s here, Reggie has an extra room I might be about to use. It’d be great to get to know the city better.”

Sweet Pea watched as Veronica’s expression began to falter. His brows furrowed and quickly she turned away. “You’re staying? In Chicago? I thought you were going to go at the end of August?”

“Andrews! Come on, man!” Veronica’s body shuddered at Reggie’s booming voice in the background.

“Ronnie, can I call you later?” Archie asked. “It’s too loud here.”

Sweet Pea crushed the finished cigarette, going back into the bar. “Hey, Coop, might have some girl trouble on your hands.”

Betty stood up from the table. “What? What happened?”

“Sounds like Andrews is staying in Chicago.”

“What?” Even Jughead was baffled by the claim. Pea put his hands up, telling them not to shoot the messenger. Betty shook her head and went outside to see what the hell was going on. Jughead remained in his confused state. If it was true, he was surprised that Archie was simply going to stay and not return. It was Archie’s life, no one was in charge of him so he could do whatever he pleased. But admittedly, deep down Jughead felt upset. Archie had been his best friend for a long, long time.

“She’s gone.” Betty returned to the bar, sighing with her hands placed on her hips. “I tried calling her but nothing.” She looked to Sweet Pea. “Did you hear anything else?”

“Not really,” he replied.

Betty frowned, sitting down beside Jughead again. She didn’t want to get on Veronica’s nerves so her best bet was to try and talk to her later that evening. Veronica could be an icy bitch when things weren’t going her way sometimes.

 

The following week at Oliver’s, Sweet Pea watched the door from his same spot near the dart area. His eyes were locked on the door, a half-drunk beer in the grasp of his right hand and his other with an impatient twitch tapping the bar top with his knuckles. There was the fair chance Veronica was busy or that she had other plans she agreed to. But Betty was here sitting over at the table with Toni and Jughead and typically the other girl would be sitting there with them; a short glass filled with of rum and coke in front of her. Or perhaps if she was feeling daring it’d be a Juan Collins with a double shot of tequila. It all depended on her mood.

The second week she wasn’t there made Pea suspicious. He was even more curious and his stares at the door intensified. Maybe she’d walk in late and blame the city traffic, or that she couldn’t decide what shoes to wear. He waited all night, but her chair remained empty. It pissed him off when Fangs went ahead and sat in _her_ chair later that night. Fuck, it was just a dumb chair.

Betty broke the news the third week when Veronica was still MIA. Archie had broken up with her, leaving her heartbroken and confused. They had all been expecting the demise of the relationship. Toni had guessed first, pretty much since Archie got into the school he applied for (she and Fangs had a side bet), and Sweet Pea even secretly believed Jughead and Betty had known it was coming. Of course, Jughead was still pissed-off his friend upped and left without warning and Betty was overall unimpressed with the entire situation and how it was handled.  

“She’s insisting she’s fine but let’s not mention it at all,” Betty affirmed. “Be as normal as possible, got it?”

“Yes, Miss Cooper. Of course, Miss Cooper,” Fangs teased.

Betty shot him a serious yet equally teasing glare and he countered with a boyish grin. Sweet Pea’s eyes lingered toward the door when he heard laughter. It sounded similar to Veronica’s and for a shear moment, he believed it to be her. He should have known he’d be greatly disappointed. Two other regulars walked in instead. He took a long, slow sip of his beer; an unsettled pang in the pit of his stomach.

He wasn’t banking on when they’d see her next. It was the Fourth of July and Fangs had heard of an underground club in Lower Manhattan. Only the first three hundred people were allowed in. However, the gang knew an old friend who ran the bar so she got them in without a fuss. It was dark, lasers flashing with black lights; a few seating areas and a giant open floor for dancing. It easily looked like you could get sloppy pretty quickly here. There didn’t seem to be many rules either. Sweet Pea wasn’t looking to get absolutely sloshed, he had his fair share of drunk nights and hungover mornings.

The group headed to the bar to get their first drinks. Behind the bar stood Sabrina Spellman, a girl they had gone to high school with. She had a chin length bob, stark white and a black thick headband with a crescent moon on it. She was different; always wore black, fishnet stockings and black nail polish. The only thing of colour on her entire person was her deep red lipstick. Everyone in high school thought Sabrina was a freak but they had mixed and mingled. Sure she was a weirdo, but who wasn’t?

“Hey, Sabrina,” Betty greeted.

“Hey, guys.” Sabrina flashed a grin. “What can I get you?” Everyone placed their orders and Sabrina got to work making their drinks. She was quick and skilled, it was almost an artform watching her make them. As they each got their drinks, Sabrina refused their money. “First round on me. Happy Fourth of July.”

Pea lingered by the bar as the others occupied the club. Once the bar started to slow down from a rush of customers, Sabrina leaned forward, tapping on Sweet Pea’s shoulder. “Are you okay? You seem kind of down.”

“Do I?” he asked, taking a swig of his beer. “Can’t say I particularly like techno and flashing lights in my face. But Fangs has been looking forward to this all week, so you gotta please the kid, ya know?”

She laughed, nodding. Pea reached out and grasped Sabrina’s arm gently, inspecting the new ink on her forearm. “Working on a sleeve?” he asked. Her fresh tattoo was of a haunted house with tree roots spidering out of the foundation. It looked really well executed.

“Found a new guy out in Queens. Slowly but surely it’ll happen,” she told him. “He’s good. If you need anything done I’ll give you his number. Doesn’t usually do walk-ins, though.”

Pea nodded, letting go of her arm a moment later. “Did those bats ever heal properly on your back?”

Sabrina turned around and lifted her shirt, lowering the hem of her flared out skirt slightly revealing three perfectly healed small bats. “A lot better than when you last saw it two years ago, in the dark… In the backroom of Oliver’s.”

“Shit, that was at Oliver’s?”

“You were pretty wasted, but we all were really.”

They both laughed, a hazy memory but something Sweet Pea never regretted. Sabrina’s eyes flickered up as another flow of people entered the club. “Do my eyes deceive me? The Park Avenue Princess left her castle to come to the lower half of her kingdom?”

Sweet Pea turned around. He was shocked to see Veronica here, Betty must have told her where they’d be. Veronica’s eyes searched the crowd for her friends. Her gaze fell upon Sweet Pea and she smiled. She looked good, really damn good. Her navy blue bodycon dress with ruching fit her like a glove, hugging all her curves. Her mile-long legs crossed the floor in a confident strut. From the looks of it, Veronica wanted to break out from her funk.

“Heard a rumour you skipped countries, changed your name, and became a spy.”

Veronica laughed softly. “Wouldn’t that be the life? Be whoever the hell you want to be.” She set her matching clutch on the bar top, pushing back some of her loosely curled hair. Sweet Pea’s eyes lingered on the cutout on her back that let his gaze trail down. “I don’t have proper ID, is that fine? I brought cash and American Express.”

Sabrina gave her a look. “Considering we’ve known each other since we were twelve, it’s fine, Veronica. What would you like?”

“Get me a Lemon drop and something for Pea,” Veronica said. “What’s your shot of choice, or can I choose for you?”

He was intrigued. “Lady’s choice.”

“I’ll be nice. He’ll have a Jager Bomb.”

Sabrina placed two shot glasses on the bar, first making Veronica’s then Sweet Pea’s. Veronica picked up her little glass, turning to face the boy. “We’re celebrating.”

“What are we celebrating?”

“That I can do whatever the fuck I want and be whoever the fuck I want now.”

Pea nodded, picking up his own shot. “Well, here’s to you, Miss Lodge. Be whoever the fuck you wanna be.”

They clinked glasses, throwing back the shot within seconds. Betty had pushed her way through the bustle of people, wrapping her arms tightly around Veronica. “V, you made it! I’m so happy.”

Veronica smiled, returning her friends hug. “Me too. Figured I should live my life: c’est la vie! Así es la vida!”

Toni was glad Veronica was there too. She finally had someone else to be around when Betty got a little too intoxicated and the boys were, well, being boys. Veronica set down her shot glass, tugging on Betty and Toni’s hands to go out and dance. Fangs leaned against the bar, eyebrows raised.

“No offence, Jug, but Archie Andrews _who?_ ” Fangs watched how Veronica swung her hips as she walked off with the girls.

Without hesitant, both Jughead and Sweet Pea smacked either shoulder of Fangs. Sweet Pea had much more force to his swift motion. Jughead’s was obviously in regards to Archie and simply for Fangs not to be an idiot.

“Fucking relax, I’m making a joke,” Fangs brushed them off. “I’m just speakin’ for the other guys in the room anyway.” He wasn’t bothered by Jughead, not in the slightest. Yet, he _was_ amused by his taller friend’s quick reaction.

Jughead shook his head, sitting on the stool. Fangs sunk into the crowd going to do his own thing for a little while. “Have you talked to your boy?” Sweet Pea asked.

“Barely,” Jug replied. “He doesn’t seem to want to comment on the topic. My best guess is that Betty already reamed him out.”

A faint smirk painted itself on Pea’s lips and he lifted his beer to his mouth. On the outside, Veronica appeared to be perfectly fine. Starting a new chapter in life was difficult but she had Betty to help her, and the rest of the weird bunch of misfits as well.

Jughead’s eye caught a girl who was staring at him down the bar. Her hair was mane-like, blonde with killer curves and legs for miles. She parted from her group of friends, walking straight to Jughead.

“Hi,” she smiled. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”

“That’s correct,” Jughead replied; his facial expression was blank and clearly uninterested yet she didn't seem to get the hint. Sweet Pea slouched into his stool, fully entertained by this.

The girl introduced herself as Cassandra from Denver then jumped into almost her entire life story of how she always wanted to move to the Big Apple and live for herself and not for her parents. While Jughead was a sucker for a good story, he could care less about this Gigi Hadid lookalike. Pea could barely hold back a laugh as Cassandra leaned towards Jughead, her fingertips sliding down the sleeve of his jacket and then gripping onto the lapel to tug herself closer to him.

Betty appeared like a ghost out of thin air. She slipped herself in between Cassandra and Jughead giving her the eyes of doom. “I’m going to need you to turn your ass around and walk your knock-off Valentino heels away from my boyfriend.”

Cassandra laughed. “Honey, you don’t even--”

“Don’t make me ask you again.” Betty’s eyes grew dark, she was more so annoyed than angry but the other girl didn’t need to know that. “ _Go_.” Her tone had a slight growl to it causing the girl to officially back down but not without an eye roll and a prissy hair flip.

Betty waited until Cassandra was at a far enough distance, turning back to Jughead. “Betts--”

“The only blonde you’re hooking up with is a real one, with brains and far more beauty,” she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jughead laughed, placing a gentle kiss on her lips with his hands gripping her waist.

Sweet Pea made a face, spinning around in his stool to face the bar. “How’d you know her shoes were fake?” he asked out of curiosity.

“Oh, I didn’t,” Betty laughed, looking over at him. “Veronica told me.”

Somehow that didn’t surprise him too much. He breathed out a chuckle, finishing what was left in his bottle. Betty dragged Jughead out to the floor to dance even though she knew he’d just sway; he had terrible rhythm.

Sweet Pea got up from his stool, reaching inside his inner jacket pocket and retrieved his pack of smokes. He maneuvered his way towards the back door until his arm was snagged.

“Do you dance?”

“What?” His body turned to face Veronica, an eyebrow lifted as he peered down at the petite girl.

“I said, do you dance?” she repeated, the volume of her voice got louder. Veronica’s hand slipped off Pea’s arm as he continued to look somewhat confused. “Do you not understand the question?”

“Oh, I fully understand the question, sweetheart.”

“So…?”

“Sometimes,” he shrugged while his right hand was fiddling with the cigarette package.

She nodded, eying the pack of cigarettes. With swift movement, Veronica was able to confiscate his smokes placing her hands behind her back. Pea reached forward with an irked expression crossing his features. “Ta, ta.” She batted his hand away and took a step back. “You want these, you’re going to have to dance with me.”

“That’s your price?”

“Mhmm.”

He let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head. His tongue glided along his bottom lip and his deep browns narrowed; if anything he was impressed with Veronica’s tactic to lure him in yet at the same time he wasn’t a fan of following the rules unless it was life or death. Pea figured he’d indulge the Lodge Heiress for a song, maybe two if she was lucky. He took her hand and they found a space big enough for the two of them amongst the crowd.

Veronica continued to hold onto carton in her right hand with her fingers on her left intertwined with his. For half of the song they mainly swayed with their bodies only mere inches apart from each other. Similar to a magnetic the gap slowly closed between them. Veronica could feel her heart rate increase with every hip bump and she didn’t really notice him slip the cigarettes out of her hand and into the pocket of his jeans.

_Dangerously close._

He gripped Veronica’s waist, gently at first followed by a hard squeeze. Her hips jerked forward with the space between them immediately eliminated. Her hands glided up his arms stopping when she reached his neck and wrapped her arms around him. The music boomed and the lights flickered. Her hands trickled down to Sweet Pea’s chest, gripping onto his light grey shirt.

God, he was fucking attractive. She knew that but now her body was grinding against his body and her thoughts were everything but holy.

Pea, on the other hand, hadn’t consciously noticed how petite Veronica was. His arms could wrap around her twice. He watched the light waves in her hair bounce as her body moved; her hips twisting, eyes closing as she let herself feel the music. If he was drunk he knew he would have had her pinned against the back wall in a half a second. But he was playing the respectful game not his usual fuck around. He would never verbalize that Veronica was sexy and bewitching and that right now her collarbone was glistening. It was driving him absolutely crazy.

The moment the song ended and transitioned into the next, Pea pulled away from Veronica. She was tempting, deliciously enticing and that was a major problem even if she was now single. He presented her with a soft smirk, tilting his head back. “Not too bad of a dancer.”

Veronica stopped her movements, puzzled by his decision to stop. Her lips parted in a response but by the time her thoughts met her mouth, Pea was pushing the back door open to finally have his nicotine fix. Her arms dangled by her sides feeling a sense of defeat which she was highly unsatisfied with. Veronica pursed her lips, disappearing back into the crowd to find herself another drink that she desperately needed.

 

Fangs was completely bashed.

He was boozed up with a mixture of beer, gin and tequila so much to the point where the five of them had been not so politely asked to leave. Fangs was slumped against Pea as the bigger male lugged his friend out of the bar. Toni whistled for a taxi, opening the door as Pea pushed Fangs into the back of the car.

“He’s not going to throw up, is he?” Betty asked.

“Last time Fangs threw up was the third grade, expired milk. Nasty shit,” Toni replied. “Slide in, girl.”

Betty was wary but climbed into the back to sit next to a half-conscious Fangs. Jughead piled in after her. “We can squish in and all fit,” Betty suggested.

“It’s fine,” Veronica waved away the offer. She really didn’t want to be squashed in a taxi in the fluke chance Fangs did actually hurl. “I can wait for another cab.”

“Pea?”

Sweet Pea quickly weighed his options. “Think I’ll pass and wait with her,” he said. “Rather not get all handsy with Jones.”

Jughead rolled his eyes, yanking the door shut. Toni eyed up her tall friend with a familiar smirk he had grown known to be her suspicious one. She walked herself to the passenger’s seat, slipping inside the yellow car. Veronica wiggled her fingers as the driver pulled away, folding her arms over her chest as she searched for another taxi.

“Let’s walk down a bit,” Pea said, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

Veronica’s heels tapped along the pavement. There was a silence between the two, nothing uncomfortable more like unfinished.

“Cold?”

One of her brows arched, glancing over at him. “Cold? It’s 72 degrees in July… How the hell are you even wearing a jacket?”

Pea chuckled, dismissing the question when a taxi came into his view. He waved it down and crossed the street with Veronica. They agreed to pay their own ways since Sweet Pea had to go further than she did. The cab ride was presumably quiet with the buzz of the radio on some rock station. The sidewalk moving into Midtown and approaching the Upper East Side was filled with patriotic drunkards, running around with their American flags as capes.

The taxi pulled up to the grand building stretching up to 40+ floors, a valet service and gold revolving doors. Veronica rifled through her clutch, taking out enough cash to pay for her portion of the ride. “Care for a celebratory _Independence Day, rah-rah sis boom bah ‘We’re American’_ drink?”

“Well, if you’re offering free alcohol I don’t see how I could say no.”

Sweet Pea followed her out of the car and up the steps to the pristine marble and gold lobby. The security at the front desk watched Pea with a careful eye; he wasn’t afraid to respond with the same look back at the big man. His body turned facing the front of the elevator as the doors closed in front of him. Veronica pushed the second top floor causing the elevator to skyrocket its way up.

“Where are your parents?”

“Palm Springs.”

The ding of the elevator sounded as they arrived at PH2 to which his obvious and correct guess was Penthouse 2. There was a short hallway before a door. Veronica unlocked it and made her way inside.

Pea was slow to walk in, taking in the mirrored entryway with a plush bench and an ivory table with decor pieces.

“Take off your shoes or my mother will murder me,” Veronica told him. She slipped off her heels, tossing them into a room as she walked by. He obeyed, removing his boots and shrugging off his jacket, leaving it on the bench. He followed the way to the vast open concept area with the living room and the kitchen.

“What’s your poison?” she asked.

“Whatever you’re having.”

Pea took his time taking in the new scenery. Never in his entire life had he been someone so nice possibly because a museum, Veronica’s home felt like one too. Expensive vases, rare paintings and a fucking chandelier over the oak dining table.

“Fangs is going to have a nasty hangover in the morning.”

He turned back to her, walking to the large island in the kitchen. The countertops were marble, nonetheless, the cabinets reached high up to the crown molding. The deep farmhouse sink, two stainless steel ovens and not to mention a chef’s sized refrigerator. He leaned his body against the island, still eying the place.

“Nah, he’ll be fine,” Pea replied. “I’m a bit upset. One more shot of tequila and he would have been singing _La Bamba_.”

Veronica laughed as she poured whiskey into two rocks glasses. “Doesn’t Toni have like a million videos of him singing and dancing?” She pushed the glass towards him.

“Yes, but we need a million more to embarrass him at his future wedding.” Pea lifted the glass to his lips, taking a sip of the strong liquor. He blinked, looking at the glass. “What kind of Whiskey is this? I think it’s the best I’ve had.”

“Johnnie Walker, I think?”

“Fuck, are you serious? Aren’t those $300 a bottle?”

“This one is a limited edition so I think closer to $500.” Veronica lifted herself to sit on the opposite counter beside the fridge.She swung her legs, swishing her drink around. “Let’s play a game. Twenty questions but I only get to ask the questions.”

“I don't think that’s fair.”

“It’s fair because you can Google me but I can’t Google you. Therefore-- Question One: What’s your real name?”

Pea chuckled. “Next question.”

“Why so secretive? Part of the Witness Protection Program? Smuggling drugs? A serial killer?”

He said nothing more, simply grinning at Veronica and her assumptions. “Next question,” he repeated, moving around to stand on the other side of the island so he was closer to her. One ankle crossed over the other and he held onto his glass.

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Fine. You’re probably a serial killer, anyway. Question Two: Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“Because I don’t,” he replied. “You’re sounding like my ma at Sunday night dinners. I have other things going on, I don’t need to juggle a girlfriend.”

He had a fair point yet Veronica had always been curious why he hadn’t tied down anyone. She knew he fucked around and did whatever he pleased, so maybe that was how he liked to live his life with no restrictions. She could admire that in a way. She and Archie were together for years, she had believed that they would eventually settle down and get married but some things were left a fantasy. After her month of mulling over the heartbreak, she wasn’t as upset as she initially had been. When one door closed, another one opened.

Their first glass of whiskey turned into four, then six, and they kept going until the bottle was nearly empty. It was getting close to 2AM. Sweet Pea rubbed the side of his face, taking out his phone. “I should go.”

“You can’t. I didn’t ask you all twenty questions.”

“Veronica you’ve been stuck on question seven for over an hour.”

She dismissed his claim, sliding off the counter. Her bare feet touched the cool tiled flooring. She had a delightful buzz happening. “Question Twenty.” Her feet shuffled towards him. Flat footed, Veronica was an entire foot shorter than Sweet Pea. “How is that we finished a bottle of alcohol and you haven’t even attempted to take this dress off me? I’m kind of disappointed.”

Pea’s eyebrows shot up from her blunt words. Clearly, he should have gone with his gut initially. He held her stare with a pad of silence before he parted his lips. “If I had it my way your dress would have been on the floor at the bar.”

Veronica reached to her left side to unzip her dress. It slipped off her body like silk, landing on the floor at her feet. All that was left covering her was the matching lacy black set of a strapless bra and panties and her pearls. “How’s this?”

A firm line formed on Sweet Pea’s lips. His eyes analyzed Veronica from her toes to the top of her head, lingering in a few specific areas. He liked her hips, he craved them the more and more as the seconds passed. Without another thought, Pea gripped her sides and lifted Veronica up. Their mouths quickly collided in roughness. He turned her around and sat her on the island, parting her legs to stand in between them.

Veronica wasn’t shy to grab Pea’s face, luring him in as close as she could. Her hands trailed to his shoulders and began to tug at his shirt. The kiss was only broken for a moment as she helped him remove Pea’s shirt over his head, letting that drop to the ground where her dressed laid. Veronica sighed when his lips attached her neck instead of on her lips. Her inner thighs tingled as the tips of his fingers drifted towards the hem of her panties. Her heart rate tripled with her breath shortening. She felt herself growing impatient but his teeth nipping at her neck made all her thoughts fly out the window.

Her back arched into him and her hands grasped the buckle of his belt, hastily undoing it along with the button of his jeans. Everything was fast, zero hesitations and no second thoughts. Veronica tossed her bra to the side after Pea had easily unhooked it, that seemed to be a top-notch skill he had. The marble countertop was cold on her bare back as he laid her down yanking her hips just off the edge.

Sweet Pea meant business here and now.

Rough was an understatement. Veronica ached in the most pleasurable way possible. Nail marks were tattooed onto Pea’s shoulders, her moans carried throughout the entire home. His large hands cupped and caressed her in all the right places. For the first time in a month, he actually made her feel something, in more ways than one.

Pea slowed. He scooped Veronica into his arms with her legs wrapping around his waist. Her skin was feverish like his. His eyes looked into hers while he sorted out his breathing but they closed as she brushed back his hair, her hands resting on his cheeks. His feet moved them to her bedroom, laying her down on the crisp white bedding. She beckoned him back with a tug of his dog tags as the door fell shut behind him.

* * *

 

_Present Day_

Betty rushed her way to Veronica’s. An all-out girl emergency had her feeling wary because it either was complete nonsense or something serious, she could never tell. “What’s happening? What’s going on?” Betty barreled into Veronica’s bedroom with a slight pant and beaded sweat on her forehead.

“Archie texted me,” Veronica replied. The text was open on her phone, handing it over to Betty. Realistically it as a very simple and possibly harmless text. However, to Veronica Lodge, the entirety of the last four months replayed on a loop in her head.

It was a brand new message, nothing previous as she had removed their chat ages ago. Archie was living his new life in Chicago and the only thing left for him in New York was his dad. She was uncertain how his relationship with Jughead was going either.

“Okay, so here’s what I think: A) It’s a harmless text and he’s genuinely asking how you are, B) Whatever girl he was sleeping with got boring.” Betty frowned at her second option but it was definitely a possibility. “What do you think, V? You don’t need to reply to him, you owe Archie nothing.”

Veronica sat down on her bed. A deep sigh exhaled from her chest. Betty was absolutely correct saying she didn’t owe him anything but it was a lot to process when an ex-boyfriend popped up out of the blue.

“Unless you still have feelings for him…” The blonde added a moment later, inquisitively peering over at her friend.

“I don’t and I say that with confidence,” Veronica said. “But I should tell you something. Remember that first weekend in August when I said I was going with my parents to Santa Barbara? I actually went to Chicago and see Archie. I missed him and I thought maybe we could figure things out, strive to be better. I told him I wouldn’t care if I had to fly out every other weekend, I’d do that for him.”

Betty’s face shifted between concern and sympathy for Veronica. She could only imagine the mixture of feelings she had been going through since that day in June, especially after being with someone for so long.

“I was really stupid, mildly pathetic. We slept together but in the morning nothing was different. I knew that we were long parted.” Veronica tucked some of her hair away from her face. “But looking back and thinking about it, I don’t regret it but I do not have feelings for him anymore. I promise.”

Betty scooted herself over to link her arm with Veronica, giving her a reassuring smile. “I admire that you are a strong person. And not to be cheesy but there are so many other guys out there for you, so many! Toni and I can be your wing women. We can scour the streets and the clubs to find Mr. Right.”

Veronica laughed as she pondered on a thought. “I think everyone has a soulmate. You and Jughead are soulmates, I said so like what, six years ago and I still believe it to this day. That boy would die for you, Betty. And if that isn’t romantic, I don’t know what is.” She was half joking but it was true. Betty knew that too. She loved Jughead more than life itself.

The part that had her gutted was the unconventional, unclassified relationship she had going with Sweet Pea. She didn’t want to categorize it as fucking around when it was so much more than that now, at least in _her_ eyes. Veronica and Pea had never openly talked about what the hell they were doing; everything was kept hush-hush behind closed doors and platonic in front of their friends. She desperately wanted to gush to Betty that she had jumbled butterflies in her stomach every time he popped into her head, every time he spoke or laughed. The way he would take her arm and gently press a kiss to the inside of her wrist when no one was paying attention to them at Oliver’s in a booth. It was bittersweet. He wasn’t aware about her going to see Archie either.

“I’m going to delete this message for you.” Betty went ahead and swiped to delete the existence of the text. “If Archie so desperately wants to talk to you now, he can show his face and do it.”

A knock brushed against the bedroom’s door revealing Hiram Lodge. “Veronica, your mother-- Oh, I wasn’t aware you had a friend over. Hello, Betty.”

“Hi, Mr. Lodge.” Betty gave a polite smile.

“I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”

“You weren’t, Daddy.” Veronica shook her head. “Just some girl talk.”

He nodded. “Ah, I see. Your mother and I are going to lunch if you would like to join. Betty, you are welcome to come as well.”

“I just came back to lunch with a friend, actually. So I’m fine,” Veronica told him. Betty eyed her friend, wondering if it was true or if she simply didn’t want to go. “You and mom can go enjoy yourselves, it’s a nice fall day.”

Hiram smiled. “Of course, mija.” He left the door half closed, letting the girls go back to their conversation.

“Who did you go out for lunch with?” Betty asked curiously.

Veronica got up, wandering over to her floor to ceiling mirror to adjust her earrings. “This woman from the social club my mom attends. She was asking if I wanted to help with a luncheon.” She turned back around. “Do you want some tea?”

“Sure.”

Veronica bounced out of her room off to the kitchen. Betty pondered for a moment. She didn’t necessarily believe what she was told about lunch. She knew Veronica to be a strong woman like she had said and naturally your ex-boyfriend reaching out would be bothersome but Betty couldn’t help wonder if there was anything more. Rightfully Veronica was allowed to keep her secrets, however, Betty was still holding onto her phone and perhaps her fingers kind of slipped to peak at a previous text that was labelled SP.

Betty could count on one hand how many SP’s she knew but the most prominent one was Sweet Pea. She didn’t dare read anything else besides the last text that said _‘10 minutes away’_ before she placed Veronica’s phone on the other side of the bed. It wasn’t her business, although she recalled Pea saying he had somewhere to go at lunch. Betty’s mind was reeling.

A short five minutes later Veronica returned with two mugs, handing one over to Betty. “So, have you and Jughead talked about that time you drunkenly said you wanted to marry him?” She took a seat on the dark teal armchair beside her vanity across from Betty.

“God no.”

“Why not?”

Betty shrugged. “I don’t know… Because I was drunk? And at the end of the day, it’s just a piece of paper. Why do I need a piece of paper to prove that he’s the only one for me? I love Jughead unconditionally. And I know that he feels the same way about me.”

“You have to admit it would be fun to play dress up for a day.”

A tiny smile turned the corners of Betty’s lips upward. “I mean, yes…” she murmured, tracing the rim of the mug. In the back of her mind she was well aware her and Jughead had money saved from their part-time illegal adventures yet it was dirty money. “Maybe drunk Betty will bring it up again.”

“Or sober Betty could put on her big girl panties and just tell him.’

Betty rolled her eyes playfully. “Already being a bitchy maid of honour.”

“Hey, someone has to be,” Veronica grinned. “And you know I’d be a damn good one too.”

The girls fell into a brief silence followed by random chatter about high school days and compared to where they thought they’d be. Betty’s life turned out a little different then she had planned but nonetheless she was happy. She was taking her online courses, working, and spending time with Jughead as well as her friends. That was all she could really ask for. By the time four rolled around she dreadfully had to leave.

“My dad’s in town, so an awkward family dinner must be had,” Betty groaned.

Veronica walked Betty to the door. “Wasn’t your dad dating a flight attendant?”

“Polly said they broke up or something, I’m not sure. But me and my mom and dad in the same room is not going to go well.” She shook her head.

“Please let me know if your mom throws a fork at him.”

“It’ll probably be a knife or a wine glass.”

Veronica laughed softly, hugging her best friend tightly. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course. I’ll always be here for you, for anything, no matter what.” There was a lot more to Betty’s words than just the surface. In one way she was referring to the possibility that one day Veronica and Archie may reunite but she also meant that she’d be there for her friend if she decided to do something a little more risque… like choosing to be with Sweet Pea. With one more hug, she parted ways from her friend a moment later to trek home.

Still, Betty’s Nancy Drew mind ran in circles with her suspicion of the text she saw. She knew Jughead would be just as snoopy as her.

And really, if they were happy, what did it matter?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr: jinglejanglejones


	4. Ring Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about a little Bughead? :)  
> Kudos? Feedback?

Jughead sat in his father’s auto shop in the back lounge. His headphones were on, his head bopping to the music playing. His laptop was open with multiple tabs of different popular jewelry websites. His mind was on a loop of his drunk girlfriend mumbling that she wanted to marry him, and if he was being completely honest with himself he had been thinking about it since the day they graduated high school. His thoughts were limited four years ago since he didn’t want to jeopardize any plans that Betty had. But now here they were living day by day with decent money and a roof over their heads. Perhaps now was the time to pull the trigger and start another chapter. 

There were so many different kinds of cuts, shapes, sizes, metals, prices… it all made his head spin. He didn’t have a solid game plan going into this, he was simply compiling research. Jughead knew Betty was simplistic; she didn’t need anything showy and in your face Kim Kardashian engagement ring. However, she did deserve something unique and quintessentially Elizabeth Cooper. He screenshot a few that seemed fitting but he knew a good helper would be Veronica.

Toni walked in through the front door, flipping on a few lights as she made her way to the bag. “Hey Jug,” she greeted. When he didn’t reply she knew he had his music on too loud and was completely lost in his own world. Toni set her bag and her jean jacket on the couch going over. She peered over his shoulder seeing the catalog of engagement rings. “Are you buying a ring?!” 

Jughead was startled, taking his headphones off and slammed his laptop shut. “Fuck, Toni. I thought you were Betty!”

Toni laughed. “Not quite, Romeo,” she pulled over a chair to sit beside him. “Are you going to propose?”

He placed his headphones aside on the table, reopening his laptop. “Well, first I need a ring,” he said. “Why are there so many options?”

“Because each girl deserves their own perfect ring and some other cliche Bachelor-esque shit. I don’t think Betty will care so much, but show me what you’ve looked at.”

Jughead went ahead and showed Toni what he was considering. Toni was nodding along to each one. She truly believed Betty would like any of them. “What brought this on?”

“She drunkenly told me she wanted to marry me last week and now that’s all I’ve been thinking about,” he admitted. “Luckily, she’s out with her mom this morning so I have some time to figure it out.”

Toni smiled. “Veronica’s going to be the best person to help you with this.”

“I know,” he agreed. “I was thinking that when I opened the tenth tab for Peoples Jewellers.” Jug retrieved his phone from the pocket of his sherpa hanging off the chair, starting a text to Veronica. He sort of felt awkward asking for help from her but it would all be worth it in the end. 

“So when are you going to ask her?”

“I don’t know. I need to process this one step at a time. Do I be a good guy and go ask her dad or just Alice?” 

Toni thought for a moment. “I think you should definitely run it by Alice, not necessarily for permission but because she’s Betty’s mom. Moms love that shit.” She got up, patting Jughead’s shoulder. “Don’t let your mind overthink. She’s going to say yes to you no matter what.” She walked her way to the front desk, turning on the computer and the radio. 

Jughead sent off his request to Veronica. He couldn’t foresee her turning down such a fabulous opportunity to firstly, go shopping with him, and second (more importantly) to aid him in his time of need to get Betty a ring.

The bell of the back door rang. Betty’s voice floated through the air saying good morning to Toni, giving her a fresh pastry from the bakery down the road. She skipped her way to the back room just as Jughead finished putting away his laptop. 

“Hi,” she grinned, closing the door slightly. “I may have some potential gossip.”

“Potential gossip?”

Betty nodded, setting the white cardboard box on the table along with a tray of coffee. Her voice significantly lowered, “I think something may be going on with Veronica and Sweet Pea.”

Jughead’s brows knitted together in confusion, trying to form an image in his head of the two of them together. “I don’t buy it.” 

“Juggie, listen,” Betty sat down on his lap. “She called me over yesterday because Archie texted her, so she was freaking out. But something didn’t seem right. She told me that weekend she went to Santa Barbara, she actually went to see Archie. Nothing came of it besides sex. I deleted the text he sent her and saw a text from the initials SP.”

“I don’t know, Betts. Veronica knows most of Manhattan.”

“I swear, Jug!” Betty poked his chest. “I can kind of see it happening.” 

Jughead pulled of his beanie, running his fingers through his dark wavy hair. His hands fell onto Betty’s thighs. His face twisted. “Veronica and Sweet Pea.”

“Yes.” She laughed, cupping each side of his face. “Trust me on this. Maybe it’s a secret or they’re just messing around, either way, it’s a thing and we’re going to figure it out.”

“So now you’re roping me into your game of  _ Are They, or Aren’t They? _ ”

“Naturally.” She smiled, kissing his lips softly. “Also just to say I told you so.”

There were several implications with the subject of Veronica and Sweet Pea. The first being all of her friends were essentially in a gang that ran drugs and got dirty money which she was unaware of. The second was that Jughead was wary due to Archie. Archie had been his best friend since pre-school. Sweet Pea had also become rather close after his father passed and FP said he’d look out for the kid. The final thing being it was weird, not in a terrible way, but more so in a confusing fucked up ‘Betty is right it could work’ way.

“So what do you say?”

“Consider my curiosity peaked,” Jughead replied sheepishly. Betty grinned, clapping twice. She got off his lap, taking her coffee.

Fangs and Pea shuffled their way in so it was a full house, a busy day ahead for actual mechanic work. Jughead had solidified his shopping plans with Veronica for tomorrow afternoon. She was in the dark aside from the fact that it was a gift for Betty. That realistically could have meant anything. 

“Gather around, hooligans,” FP called everyone to the back room once things became slow. Fangs, Sweet Pea and Betty took the couch as Toni and Jughead each sat in a chair. “Small job, but still good enough for us. Pick up in Williamsburg, drop off at Bay Ridge. Sweet Pea will go with Betty.”

“ _ What?! _ ” Jughead and Fangs were in unison. Fangs was confused and Jughead was abundantly unimpressed.

“Dad, no.” Jug shook his head. 

“Why not?” FP folded his arms, looking at his son. “Betty is capable and she will be with Sweet Pea. I’ll change it if she refuses.”

Betty watched as all eyes laid on her. Truthfully she was rather excited to go on a run since she was usually coordinating and making sure everyone wasn’t in too much danger. This was a game changer. “I’m fine to go.” She nodded, keeping her eager smile concealed.

Jughead buried his head in his palms. “Looks like it’s settled. Pick up is at eight,” FP concluded. 

“Kid’s having an aneurysm,” Toni teased, bringing her feet up onto the chair. 

Pea smacked Jughead’s knee, snickering. “Relax, Jones. Coop is safe with me. Hell, she’ll probably knock someone out if necessary.”

Jughead got up and stomped to his father’s office, slamming the door behind him. “Take Betty off the run, dad. Take her off. Better yet, take Sweets off and put me on.”

FP looked up at Jughead from where he sat behind his desk. “I wouldn’t have assigned her if I didn’t think she was capable of doing the job, Jughead. And no, I’m not taking him off because I don’t want you and Betty there together and something fucks up.”

“But something could happen to them as well. You don’t understand--”

“I understand,  _ boy _ .” FP’s voice raised not angrily but to get grip Jughead’s full attention. “You want to protect your girl and I get that, but I need to protect you as well. Both of you out there at the same time could cause too much damage.”

Not to mention he saw Betty as a key component in his life. He got on well with the little Cooper, she loved his son and FP loved seeing his son happy and living his life. Sometimes he thought of Betty as his own and he knew he had to protect her as well. He has to protect all of these kids the best that he could. Alice Cooper would come at him with a butcher’s knife if he didn’t. 

Jughead faltered although there was still some fight left in him. The conversation between him and his father died with Jug leaving the office. He looked to see Betty and Sweet Pea in a conversation; there was e xhilaration in her eyes, he could tell. 

Sweet Pea’s eyes flickered over to Jughead. He got up off the couch and walked over to the other male. “Look, she’s going to be fine. Don’t doubt her. She’s been here long enough to know what the fuck is up,” Pea said. “Who’s going to suspect a suburban-looking blonde with an angel face to be a drug runner?”

He had a point which made Jughead even more annoyed with the situation. He clenched his tongue to say nothing else, moving over into the workshop to think everything through.

Betty stood, rubbing her hands against her jeans. “He’ll be okay.” She gave a half-hearted hopeful smile to Pea.

“I have a bullseye on my forehead and if I don’t get you back here in one piece he’ll aim and take fire.”

“Then I guess you better work extra hard tonight,” Betty mused. Pea chuckled at her words, watching her take her spot at the front desk. He was always a dead man walking.

 

It was Betty’s idea for she and Sweet Pea to act like a couple when they got to Nighthawks. It’d be less suspicious, hopefully. No one at Nighthawks knew what she looked like, only that she was Jughead’s girlfriend. So this gave them a prime advantage that she and Pea couple be a faux couple for a night. No accusations, no raised brows, no second glances. Jughead was less than amused with this but he continued to keep his mouth zipped. 

Betty wandered into the auto shop just after seven. Oiled stained jeans and a t-shirt wouldn’t cut it for this, she believed. She dressed in a faux black leather skirt and tucked into it was a white silky v-neck strappy tank top; it made her cleavage appear extra attractive too. She had her baby pink jacket in her hands as well.

“Shit,” Fangs mumbled. “I’m almost attracted.”

Toni nudged him in the ribs, telling him to behave. He brushed his shoulder against hers, retrieving the bag of jalapeno chips from the scuffed up coffee table.

Jughead was slouched over on a stool, arms crossed and a grumpy face. Admittedly he was nervous, worried for Betty’s safety. His features somewhat softened when she approached him, lacing their fingers together. 

“Are you going to be okay here?” she asked.

“Do I have much of a choice?”

“Juggie, I promise I’ll be fine. I know you don’t like this but you need to let it go. I’m going and will be back, then we can finish what we started this morning.” Betty ran her fingers down his chest. “Okay?”

Jughead breathed out. “If anyone touches you, I swear, Betts—“

“I know.” She laughed softly. Betty leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Jug’s eyes fluttered shut, tugging her a little closer to keep her for a few more moments.

“Let’s go, Coop,” Pea called from the door. He spun his keys around his finger, popping a piece of bubble gum between his lips. 

Betty connected hers and Jughead’s lips together once more. “I love you,” she murmured. His voice was shallow as he uttered the same three words back to her, begrudgingly letting her go.

Pea held open the door for her, saluting Jughead as they left. He unlocked the Chevelle, sliding in and started the car. The engine roared with intense power, headlights flashing on and their seatbelts buckling. Sweet Pea peeled out of the gravel lot heading to Williamsburg as their destination. 

The heat was low for Betty’s exposed legs as it was more of a brisk night. Her eyes watched the streetlights and buildings zip passed them like a hazy memory. She didn’t say much for a while, not until Pea glanced over at her when they stopped at a red light.

“You’re nervous,” he stated, noticing her gripped the bottom hem of her skirt tightly.

“Slightly,” she replied, turning her head to look at him. “Do you ever get nervous?”

Pea laughed softly; his signature curl fell in front of his face with a bounce of his head. “I can’t remember the last time I was nervous about something. Especially this. This is like a walk in the park.”

“A walk in the park where something could go wrong in a split second.”

“You’re right,” he nodded. “But tonight, it won’t.” 

The car lurched forward when their light turned green. Sweet Pea shifted gears, the tires spun for just a moment before they were flying down the road. Betty felt the adrenaline coat her entire body; she let go of the hem and held onto her knees instead. She knew he was speeding for the dramatic but something about it made her feel more alive. A wicked grin marked her lips as she let herself live in the moment.

Pea rolled to a spot in a dim lit parking lot that had dingy looking Taco Bell in one corner and a sad, forgotten strip mall with only a few stores. There was a skinny bar tucked away in between an electronics store and a thrift store. He left the car on idle, removing his seatbelt.

“Stay here, lock the doors. Don’t unlock them until I get back,” he instructed. 

Betty watched as Sweet Pea got out of the car. He adjusted his leather jacket coolly, collar up as his longs legs strutted over to the men by the door smoking something other than cigarettes. She locked the doors just as he had told her too, waiting for his return.

“Surprise, surprise, FP sent you. Thought it might have been his boy.” 

“Not today, but if it’s any consolation he wanted to be here.” Pea reached out to shake the man’s hand. Vince was just as tall as Pea, give or take a few centimeters, but that was a technicality. He had ashy brown short hair, piercing green eyes and one of those crooked smiles that made the girls panties drop. Even Pea had to admit that Vince was a good looking guy. 

“You remember my little brother, Brian.” Vince motioned to the younger man, possibly fresh out of high school. He looked like Vince, more of a boyish face. “Brian, this is Sweet Pea, his dad used to roll with ours and FP Jones. Long time ago.”

Brian extended his hand to shake Pea’s. “Been a few years, but yeah,” Pea replied. 

Vince finished his blunt, exhaling the smoke in rings. “Who’s the blonde in your front seat?” He asked, jutting his chin towards the car.

Pea glanced over his shoulder seeing Betty shift uncomfortably, her greens darting away to look at her phone instead. “That’s Jones’ girl.”

“You don’t say, huh?” 

“She’s off limits, Vince.” 

“I’m not interested, just curious,” he countered. “Brian, go into the back room and get what the man’s here for.”

Brian nodded, disappearing into the dive bar. “How’s Fogarty doing? Still alive?” Vince asked a moment later. “Last time I saw him he had a black eye and a bloody nose.”

“Much of the same, his monthly quota of bar fights has been slowly declining,” Sweets replied, folding his arms as he leaned against a structural pillar.

Vince chuckled, continuing to eye Betty in the car. “And yourself? Heard from your sister?”

“Last time I heard from her was two Christmases ago and she needed five hundred dollars. Sent her the cash and radio silence ever since. Unsurprising.”

“Yikes.”

Brian returned with a small black duffle back, tossing it at Pea. He unzipped the bag double checking to make sure everything was accounted for. “Thanks, boys.”

“If you need anything, you know where to find us.”

Sweet Pea gave them a nod. He held the bag in his right hand as he turned on the heels of his big boots to go back to the car. Betty waited until he was close enough and unlocked the door for him. He shoved the bag to Betty as he climbed inside, resuming the engine.

“Were you talking about me?” Betty asked.

“Barely. Don’t worry about it.”

Betty hummed in a response, taking a peek at the packages of cocaine inside the bag. On her lap was something that could land her nearly a decade in prison and a start of a criminal record. The other four already had a few misdemeanors from high school, nothing too serious. But this…  _ this _ was serious.

The car made a sharp turn onto a side street, coming to a stop beside the curb. Betty hadn’t realized she zoned out for that long and they had arrived at Nighthawks. Both got out of the car, Pea taking the bag from her as they crossed the street. Betty slipped her arms through the holes of her jacket.

“Hold my hand,” she told Pea. He gave her two raised brows and a blink. “Hold my hand, you have to play the part.”

“You’re going to get me into trouble, Coop.”

“With who?” She questioned, her head tilted wondering if he’d mention Veronica. Her curiosity was still there even if it wasn’t relevant at the moment.

He took her hand, lacing their fingers together. Betty’s hands were soft, delicate. “Jughead,” his tone was flat and obvious.

“ _ Oh _ .”

That should have been her first thought. She opened the door for them, slipping past the bouncers when they saw Sweet Pea’s face, asking no questions. Betty was simply Pea’s accessory to aid with a means to an end. She has been here once, briefly. The laser lights flashed and strobed around the room causing Betty to see dots in her vision. She let Sweet Pea tug her along, weaving in and out of groups of people. She smashed into his back when he suddenly halted.

“Stay by the bar, I’ll be back in a minute.” It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a demand. And while she was eager to see what was on the other side of the door in front of him, she knew not to piss off anyone in here. Everyone knew someone and she really didn’t need a target on her back, it’d screw her crew.

She felt his fingers slip away from hers, watching him disappear behind the two large men guarding the door and into the room. Betty dipped her eyes away and went to stand by the bar, ordering herself a sour whiskey since she was there anyway. She kept herself tucked into the corner of the bar, idly sipping her drink through the skinny straw.

There were two sets of eyes on Betty: one was coming from the far end of the bar and the other from one of the bouncers guarding Indigo’s liar. The bartender was friendly, making light talk with her but nothing too prying.

“Are you dating Sweet Pea?” he asked, wiping down the bar top free of spilled alcohol.

Betty dryly laughed, mulling over a response. “You know, it’s kind of complicated,” she told him. That was a decent enough answer, she figured.

“Always seems to be with guys like him. Afraid of commitment, selfish.”

Betty quirked a brow. “You think he’s like that?”

“Haven’t seen anything to provide different, sweetheart. Never seen him with the same girl, that includes you.”

She frowned for a moment. Faking dating seemed to be just as emotional as normal dating, yet she shouldn’t have been shocked that people saw Sweet Pea this way. Maybe Veronica was simply a side piece to his bigger game of seeing how many girls he could fuck in a week. At least, that’s what was rumoured in high school. She didn’t like to assume the worst.

The bartender’s attention shifted to three girls who approached the bar. Their conversation was replaced when the man from down the bar had taken up the open stool beside her, tipping his drink.

“What’s your name, pretty thing?”

Betty resisted an eye roll, leaning back to maintain a healthy distance from him. “Polly,” she quickly said, nearly regretting it a moment later.

“Why are you sitting all by yourself, Polly?”

His boozy breath blew into her face; a mix of liquor, beer and he smelled of marijuana. He was a little more on the rough side facial wise, nothing like her friends who kept up their appearances.

“I’m waiting for my friend to finish his business,” she avoided eye contact the best she could.

“Shame he left you out here all alone…” His voice trailed along with hand sliding over Betty’s knee and upwards to her thigh. “I can take care of you.”

Betty smacked his hand away, appalled. “Don’t touch me!” she barked. Her vision darted to the door growing anxious as it was still shut.

“What’s wrong, pretty?” He got up, approaching Betty with a wickedly malicious grin painted on his chapped lips. She felt the wall collide with her back. Quickly, Betty gave her best attempt to push and hit the man back. He took hold of her right arm, a firm grip wrapping around her skin. She winced as his fingers got tighter around her forearm. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to disrespect a man?”

Betty parted her lips for cuss him out until he was ripped back from her. Her forearm throbbed and burned. Wrapped right around were red markings from the man’s hands. She cradled her poorly circulated arm, looking up to see Sweet Pea there, holding the punk by the collar of his shirt; he was nearly being choked.

Sweet Pea had a few choice words for the guy and then there was a crack as Pea’s right fist came in contact with the left set of ribs. Few faces turned to watch the commotion, wide eyes, and whispers. Another hard hit crossed the man’s face and Betty could only amuse that the blood that dropped to the ground was nose and mouth substance. Sweets dropped the flimsy body to the side, taking one long stride to Betty.

“Betty—  _ Fuck _ ,” Pea cursed, examined her arm. It was already starting to bruise and it wasn’t going to be pretty. “I’m sorry.”

All she could do was shake her head. He took her by her good arm, keeping her close to get her out of there. Indigo glanced from his beaded doorway, an amused expression.

“Be nice if you had decent security to look after your female customers instead of your coked up bitches,” Pea yelled in Indigo’s direction.

He pushed the side door open, guiding Betty to the car. He made she he was in, shutting the passenger side door before rounding the car. Betty could hear him swear a few more times before he got in.

“Pea, it’s not your fault,” Betty’s tone was soft. “It was a fluke.”

“Try explaining that to Jughead when we get back.”

His foot stomped on the gas, using the palm of his hand to sharply turn the steering wheel making a u-turn. There was thick silence between them. Sweet Pea’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the wheel fiercely. His eyes were dark, narrowed at the road ahead of them. Being pissed was an understatement.

Betty continued to cradle her arm against her chest; a slow breath exhaled through her nose. “Thank you.” She murmured a moment later.

“Betty—“

“No,” she stopped him. “Another second and it could have been a million times worse. The bartender said you were selfish but I don’t think you are. I think you are loyal to the ones you trust, protect them. So thank you.”

Her words softened his tight chest, easing his hold on the wheel as they flew through a yellow light. It still didn’t fix the fact that in the end she had gotten hurt and that was not okay. Fangs and Toni stood from the couch, blinking in confusion.

Sweet Pea parked his car in front of the auto shop, cutting the engine. Betty was the first to exit the car, pulling open the back door. It only took mere moments until Jughead noticed her arm with the large hand print marks on her skin. He was fuming; his eyes darted to the door as Sweet Pea let himself in, head slightly lowered.

Jughead moved Betty aside, making a b-line to Pea.

“Jug, don’t,” Betty attempted to reach out to catch his sleeve but was unsuccessful.

“What the hell did you do?!” Jughead shoved Sweet Pea causing him to take a step back.

“Look, it’s not what it seems.”

Jughead mocked laugh. “Betty is hurt, she is  _ bruised _ . What the hell was so important that you couldn’t be there for her?”

Sweet Pea gave him a bothered look. “I told her to wait by the bar and how was I supposed to know some asshole would approach her? I was only gone for a minute so we could get our stupid money,” he spat. Pea pulled the wrapped up cash out of his pocket, tossing it onto the coffee table nearby. “If you think I’d willingly let her get hurt, you’re fucking delusional, Jones.”

Pea bumped his shoulder hard against Jughead’s as he walked by. Jug’s nostrils flared, unable to let it go. He turned back and grasped the leather of the other man's jacket to pull him back. Sweet Pea turned on the heel of his boot; his eyes were daggers to match Jughead’s.

“Let it go, Jones,” Pea warned.

Jughead’s hand curled into a tight ball by his side. “Don’t think I can do that.”

Toni pushed herself in between them, separating the two bodies. “Enough.” She looked at each boy. “You, go look after your girlfriend,” she instructed Jughead, turning him away. “And you…” Toni shook her head at Sweet Pea. “Probably best to go until he settles down,” she suggested.

From knowing Sweet Pea for so long, Toni knew when he was resisting tearing down the world when he was wrongfully accused of shit. He had learned to bite his tongue and let the dust settle (most days). Sweets teeth were clenched together, making a sharp sucking noise as he inhaled.

“Fine,” he muttered. Pea adjusted his jacket, peering down at Toni. She gave him a sympathetic look as she watched him yank open the door, letting it slam behind him as he left.

The atmosphere shifted into unsettled calm. Toni knew it would be hostile for a few days until the boys got over themselves and set aside their differences.

Jughead took Betty home which only ensued in an argument over what happened. The middle of the bed was cold with each of them laying on the edge of their respective sides; less sleep more restlessness.

 

The crisp autumn air breezed through the window Betty liked to leave ajar. Jughead sat up, rubbing his tired eyes and combed his finger through his dark hair. He tugged on his jeans, his signature  _ S _ shirt and a dark blue flannel. His boots were tied, sherpa fitting his shoulders perfectly and his beanie atop his head. Jughead wandered to the other side of the bed. Betty slept peacefully, her purple-y bruised arm tucked to her chest and blonde hair splayed over the pillow. He bent down, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her head.

“You’re late.” Veronica stood at the entrance to the mall, foot tapping and arms crossed over her chest. “Another minute and I would have left.”

Jughead grumbled, “Sorry.” He approached her with his hands in his pockets. His tiredness read well on his face, Veronica taking notice.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” his head shook. “Betty and I got into an argument but it’s fine. Nothing serious.” He walked into the mall followed by Veronica. “And it’s nothing serious because you’re going to help me find a ring for her.”

“Wait--” Veronica stopped Jughead from walking. “Say that again but slower.”

“I’m getting a ring for Betty…”

“Like a  _ ring _ ring? An engagement ring? A ring to  _ marry _ her?”

“Yes…”

Veronica was elated, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. “Jughead!” She threw his arms around his shoulders in a quick hug. “This is the most amazing news I have heard all week! She’s going to flip out. She thinks you thought she was kidding when she was drunk and said she wanted to marry you.”

“Most things Betty says when she’s drunk are true.” He began to walk again. “True, good things. The problem is I’m not sure where to start.”

“Well, luckily for you, you have me on this quest to find the proper ring. One that will the fit the finger of precious Juliet.” Veronica looped her arm through Jughead’s setting off on their adventure.

There were rings upon rings showcases; various cuts, karats, and sparkle. Five minutes in and Jughead was already feeling overwhelmed. Veronica did most of the talking since she definitely knew way, way more about this than he ever would. This was not his strong suit. The one thing he did know what that Betty would not like something chunky or flashy, so that cut the options down quite a bit. She often gravitated to dainty jewelry.

Veronica had the sale’s associate set out several options for Jughead. His eyes scanned over each ring as the man behind the counter explained where the diamonds came from and how each one is handcrafted and so on. There were a few that peaked his interested, opting to take photos of them on Veronica’s phone so it would be kept a secret.

They hopped from store to store. Veronica could see that all of this was a shocking experience for Jughead, mainly the pricing. “You don’t have to pick one today. We can come back another day,” she told him. “When are you proposing?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied, scrolling through the pictures. He stopped on one from the very first store. It was a thinner twisted white gold band with a round diamond. It was the one he had been comparing others too, that must have been some sort of a sign.

A notification popped up on Veronica’s phone; the initials SP only being indicated along with  _ New Text Message _ . He swiped the notification away as Veronica idly looked at some necklaces in one of the glass cases. Perhaps Betty was right. It seemed awfully cryptic. Jughead was itching to see what it was all about but he left it alone. He handed Veronica back her phone, sticking his hands into his coat pockets.

“I think I’ll take a few days to think it over. I’ll let you know.”

Veronica nodded, slipping her phone into her purse. “Definitely. Don’t overthink it, no matter what you decide, she’s going to marry you. I can guarantee you that.”

Jughead’s face twisted as he thought, a small laugh escaping his lips. “I just noticed we didn’t argue once.”

“Special occasion, I’ll have to make up for it another day. Speaking of which, you should go talk to Betty. I can tell whatever argument you had has been bothering you all morning.”

She was right; he was still reeling from the night before in the back of his mind. It was upsetting seeing someone you love hurt and perhaps he and Sweet Pea could have handled it a better way. Jughead let out a deep sigh, rocking back on his heels.

“You know I’m right,” she added a moment later. “Fix your issues then give her one of the best gifts of life: love.”

Veronica smiled softly at Jughead, patting his arm gently. She told him they’d talk later, exiting the store to go on her way.

Love was fickle, but true love always conquered no matter what disaster ensued. 

Betty loved Jughead. Jughead loved Betty.

It was written in stone.


	5. Delicate

Sunday mornings were serene. The world was quiet, sleeping in and taking on the day at a slow pace. Betty loved to lay in bed with Jughead for an extra hour; legs tangled in the sheets, head on his chest, warm bodies pressed to one another. It was mornings like these when Fangs would stay in bed well past noon, completely dead to the world with his arm hanging off the edge of his bed, mouth slightly open with a soft snore. Toni would have a strawberry pancake breakfast with her grandfather at the local diner down the street from her home; Thomas Topaz loved to retell his granddaughter her favourite stories from when she was a child, they never got old. It was on Sunday mornings when Sweet Pea would sit with Poppy in the living room of his mother’s house and watch old cartoons, eating sugary cereal and a helping her with math homework. Breakfast was grand at the Lodges with the entire table filled with a variety of food. Hiram sat with the morning paper while Hermione and Veronica chatted about their socialite gossip.

No matter where you were in New York, Sundays were the beginning of a new start and new opportunities.

FP Jones always hung around the shop on Sundays, getting it prepped for the new work week and settling any discrepancies for the side jobs. He sat in his office with the small TV on in the background as he counted through the earnings of the week. His head tipped up as he heard footsteps in the main area. He was certain it wasn’t one of the kids, they took pleasure in having Sundays off. FP rose from his office chair, suspicious as he cleared the desk of money.

“We’re closed!” He called out. 

The footsteps drew closer, stopping in the middle of the doorway. “Lousy job of being closed if the door isn’t even locked.”

FP’s lips formed a smirk, chuckling lightly. He gazed over at Sweet Pea’s mother; her long brown wavy hair was tied back in a ponytail, her warm brown eyes were bright, cheeks rosy and her posture tall. She sported dark jeans with boots, a worn down grey v-neck shirt with a suede olive green biker jacket over top. She never seemed to age, she looked the exact same as she did in high school.

“What can I do for you, Katherine?”

“Do you remember what you promised me ten years ago?” Katherine wandered into the office, taking a glance around the room.

FP sat back down in his chair, leaning back as he watched her with his fingers knitted together in his lap. “I’m sure you’re going to tell me no matter what my answer is. Ten years is a bit hazy.”

Katherine stopped in front of the desk with her arms adjusting to fold over her chest. “You promised me the day of James’ funeral that you’d look after Sweet Pea like a son.”

He nodded, “And I have been just like I said.”

“I’ll bypass the bruises and cuts here and there, you know he’s like his father and will stand up for what he believes in.”

“He does a lot of things that remind me of James,” FP commented. “There’s a big part of his father in him.” 

A faint smiled lined Katherine’s lips as she took a moment to think. “Does he seem different to you lately? More…” She paused to search for the right word. “Light, upbeat?”

FP nodded along. “I suppose I have now that you’ve mentioned it. Which I would guess is a good thing.”

“It is,” Katherine replied. “All I want is for my son to be happy and safe. And I’m continuing to trust you that he will be kept out of harm’s way. I know what it’s like out there, don’t forget that. If anything were to happen to him, you’ll be in a box in the bottom of the Hudson River.”

Her words were playful but FP was well aware there was an underlying threat lingering as well. “Missed your snark, Kat. It’s been a while.”

She laughed lightly, rolling her eyes. “Some people have other things to do besides run cocaine with an auto shop as a front.”

“Maybe a front but still get business. People trust in a business that’s been around from generation to generation.”

“Do you really think Jughead’s going to take over the shop? I thought he’d have a brighter future than that.”

FP shook his head, adjusting his lazy posture. “I don’t think he will and for that I’m glad. He can go on and do better things with his time, with his life.” He didn’t believe his son was going to stick with this abnormal, unethical job that was occurring right now. While they all divvied up the cash they got, FP was splitting his shop portion for a savings for Jughead and some he would keep for Jellybean. He had made countless mistakes in his life but one thing that he wanted was his children to go on and be a better person that he would ever be. 

“How’s the sobriety keeping you?”

“Not one drink since Jughead graduated high school four years ago. At least he has something he can be proud of me for.”

Katherine’s smile was soft. She finally sat down in the opposed chair from her old friend, letting out a slow deep sigh. “This high school boy came into the emergency room last night, broken arm and a bloody nose. I asked him what happened for the report and he told me he got into a fight over a girl he liked. Claims her boyfriend is an asshole. Reminded me of when you and Hal Cooper got into a fight in junior year at homecoming.”

“He had it coming,” FP replied easily. “Jealousy made him look like a schmuck.”

“And what did that make you?”

“Obviously the better choice.”

Katherine laughed, tipping her head back. “That worked out well for you, hm?”

He hummed, smoothing his dark hair back with his fingers. “Are you hungry? Louie’s still has breakfast going.”

“I can’t remember the last time I was at Louie’s.” 

FP got up, shrugging on his jacket and collect his things. “French toast with a side of bacon, hashbrowns and a large coffee, right?”

She followed him out of his office, trailing along his side. “Pancakes, actually. Ali had the french toast.”

“Clearly it’s been too long, Kat.” 

He unlocked his old blue pickup truck, climbing in while Katherine slid into the passenger’s side. He wasn’t too surprised when she demanded to be in charge of the radio, it reminded him of when they were sixteen and her and Alice were control freaks of what songs were playing. At the same time, it was comforting considering all they had going on in their lives. A little bit of nostalgia was a good drug to overdose on every now and then, so he was going to soak this in with one of his oldest friends. 

A knock on the front door caused Poppy to jump up from the couch to go get it. Sweet Pea leaned over the side of the couch to see Jughead standing on the stoop with his slouched posture and hands tucked into the pockets of his coat. Poppy unlocked the door, swinging it open.

“Hey, Poppy,” Jughead smiled. “I think you’ve grown again.” 

She nodded, matter-of-fact. “I have. Almost another inch,” she told him, stepping to the side to let him in. 

Jughead walked into the home as Sweet Pea rose from the couch. “What do you want, Jones?” he asked, moving towards the kitchen. 

“Came to apologize,” he admitted, rubbing the bottom of his converse on the mat before taking another step. “Betty told me the whole story, about the guy at the bar and how you didn’t want her to be part of the deal. I get it, I would have thought she’d be fine too.”

Pea folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the counter. His expression read bored with hints of annoyance and tiredness. “Is that it?”

“So, I’m sorry,” Jughead said. “I’m protective.”

“You best be out of your mind if you thought I’d purposely let anything happen to her, to any of you guys,” he wasn’t angry at this point. Pea was more so telling Jughead that they were all in this together. He had never really said it outright that these people were like his family. If one of them went down they’d tumble like dominos. “I get it, she’s your girl, I’d feel the same way.”

Jug nodded, adjusting his beanie. From the coffee table, Sweet Pea’s phone began to ring, “If it’s Toni or Fangs just answer it.” He told his niece.

Poppy picked up, her brows knitted together with a mischievous smile. “It’s Veronica, that’s Betty’s friend? Can I answer it? I’m going to answer it. Hello--”

Pea was back into the living room with four large steps, snatching the phone away from her and pressed  _ End _ . Poppy huffed, crossing her arms, “That’s rude.”

He shook his head and tucked his phone into his back pocket. Jughead stood with his brows raised to his hairline, blinking a few times. “So, Betty is right.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Are you and Veronica dating?”

He slowly breathed out through his nose, his hand scratching the back of his neck. “I’m not sure if I would classify it as dating,” he replied watching Jughead’s expression change from curiosity to realization, his face scrunching. 

“Gross,” Poppy commented under her breath.

“Since when?” Jughead asked.

Pea shrugged, “July. I’m not really in the mood sit around, paint our toes and swap our juicy secrets.” His phone vibrated a few times in his pocket, though he chose to ignore it for the time being. “Look I know Andrews is your boy…”

Jughead shook his head. “He decided to let her go, so as far as I know with the unofficial rules, it doesn’t matter.” Besides who was he to stop this if it was mutual consent and they had worked out whatever was good between them? They were adults and they could handle their own shit. “You don’t have to hide it from us.”

“Fangs and Toni have known for a while,” Sweet Pea replied. “V and I haven’t even really talk about what we’re doing anyway.”

Sweet Pea felt like this was getting too personal for his liking. He wasn’t uncomfortable but he really didn’t want to talk about his feelings with Jughead, at least not at this point. So Pea left it with something light, “Tell Betty she doesn’t get a prize for being a decent P.I.”

Jughead chuckled softly. He knew Betty would appreciate the offhanded compliment anyway. He wondered if the dynamic of the group would shift, but at the same time Sweet Pea had mentioned Fangs and Toni already knew so maybe it wouldn’t. If anything it would make Jughead more aware. His attention turned to the window as they all heard tires rolling across the gravel. FP’s blue truck came to a halt behind Katherine’s station wagon.

“Is that your dad?” Pea asked, his eyes narrowed while Jughead nodded and his own expression twisting. 

FP got out of the truck with Katherine moving around the front to stroll along the bumpy path to the front door, both laughing about something. Jughead had moved over to the side when the door opened. Pea stood tall with his arms folded firmly across his chest, eyes still zeroed in on his mother and FP. 

“Hi, Sweet Pea,” Katherine greeted, her tone was always more endearing and motherly; her personalized nickname for her son since he was born. “And Jughead is here too.”

“Afternoon,” Jug greeted with a nod. “Dad.”

FP already felt the need to explain the situation, mainly because Sweet Pea was staring him down. “Kat and I went to Louis’, still the best breakfast in all of the boroughs.” 

Pea hummed unamused. Katherine shrugged off her coat, shooting her son a look as she hung it up on the coat rack. “Hi, Mr. Jones!” Poppy chirped from the living room.

“I hear it’s your birthday soon,” FP grinned. “Not so little anymore, huh?”

“Nope, basically an adult.”

“Thirteen is an adult now? I must be behind with the times,” he teased. “Jug, you need a ride home or are you staying?”

Jughead nodded, tipping his head towards Sweet Pea. “See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Pea replied with a flat tone.

They were squared, all good and aired out about Betty. What lingered was Veronica but it wasn’t up for discussion anymore. FP gave an affectionate goodbye to Katherine, informing her if she needed anything he’d only be a call away. In turn, she smiled, wiggling her fingers as both Jones’ exited the home.

“What are you doing with FP, ma?”

Katherine locked the door, moving across the floor to the kitchen. “Nothing,” she said. “I’ve known him since I was ten, he’s a friend and was one of your father’s best friends. They were in the army together, you and Jughead both know that. So get that scowl off your face,” she patted his cheek, taking a glass of water to the living room.

“Pea, did your girlfriend call you back?” Poppy asked.

“Poppy—“

“Girlfriend?” Katherine’s right brow arched as she sat down on the couch. 

Sweet Pea shook his head just as his niece chimed in again, “Her name is Veronica. He says they’re not dating, though. But he’s probably lying.”

Katherine nodded, her gaze shifting to Sweet Pea. He was annoyed which was a permanent emotion within him. He shook out his hair with his fingers, “Are you done gossiping about me? You have three more math questions to finish, and I have to go make sure Fangs hasn’t burned down the apartment.” 

He grabbed his dark jean jacket off the armchair, shrugging it over his flannel. Sweet Pea messed up Poppy’s hair and kissed his mother’s cheek, telling her he loved her with Katherine’s signature response telling him to stay safe out there. The door closed behind him with the screen door flopping back in forth as he jogged down the few steps to the dying autumn grass. The soles of his boots hit the cracked sidewalk, slipping his phone out of his back pocket seeing Veronica’s confused text. 

The phone went to his ear after he hit call next to her name. There were only two rings before she picked up, “My niece thought it be hilarious if she answered my phone,” he skipped the hellos and went straight for a light sugarcoat. 

Veronica had never pried into too much about Poppy, she knew the bare minimum and he never seemed to want to delve into it anyway. She smiled softly, “That’s fine. She sounded pretty adorable on the phone.”

“I don’t know if adorable is the right word,” the corner of his lip twitched upward as he rounded the corner of the block. 

“Wasn’t really an important call anyway,” Veronica told him, sitting on the edge of her bed. She missed him, his presence, his smell, his voice. “I have to go to this afternoon lunch with my mother for a Christmas Charity Gala. I’m supposed to be getting ready but I’m procrastinating. Betty was still sleeping, so you were the next best thing.”

Realistically, she hadn’t even called Betty. Veronica didn’t want to appear as some desperate girl looking for attention; she didn’t need to look when she could simply walk outside and all eyes were on her. But a specific set of eyes on her was truly the better deal and a confidence boost. 

“One of those fancy parties that all the rich fucks go to that I see in movies?” he asked. 

“Yes,” she nodded. “Caviar and champagne flutes, an ice sculpture and all that jazz. Women in floor-length dresses and men with bowties.”

“Sounds like a disaster.”

Veronica laughed, “I should invite you to come and be my date, you can wear a regular tie instead.”

“Not a chance in hell.”

“Figured as much.”

Pea could hear her sigh on the other line, unsure if it was for dramatics or if there was an actual hint of disappointment. The last time he was in a proper suit was at his dad’s funeral when he was thirteen. Thinking back to that moment made him uneasy; his fingers gripped the bottom of his flannel unconsciously, more of an anxious feeling than anything else. The sight of his father’s casket being lowered into the grave flashed through his mind, along with the sound of his mother’s soft cries as she forced herself to remain strong for her two children.

“Are you still there?” Veronica murmured. 

“Yeah-- I gotta go, have fun at your Gala lunch,” he quickly followed up saying he’d talk with her later. 

The call ended, Sweet Pea clinched his phone in his hand as he jogged across the street to his apartment building. Unsurprising that the elevator was out of order. His long legs took him up the stairs two by two until he got to the fourth floor. He could smell bacon and burnt toast, and opening the door there was a waft of marijuana. This was a typical Sunday afternoon between Fangs and Sweet Pea which also included video games until their fingers were cramped.

“Hey,” Fangs greeted from the couch. His black sweatpants were bunched up around his calves and crumbs from his bacon sandwich were scattered over his white tank top. “You good?” Fangs could tell when something was bothering his best friend, more so any type of emotion. 

“I’m golden,” Pea kicked off his boots and tossed his jacket into his room when he walked passed it. “FP took my mom out for breakfast.”

“What?” Fangs laughed. “Like a date?”

Sweet Pea breathed out through his nose, grabbing the two wireless Playstation controllers. “Let’s fucking hope not. Jughead was there too, so FP left pretty quick.”

He sat down on the couch, pushing up his sleeves as the system loaded. “Are you actually gonna to be a team player and not let me die against eleven-year-olds, or are you gonna text Veronica the entire time?” Fangs reached forward and placed the empty plate on the coffee table.

“She’s busy, it’s not like that.”

“When you’re done lying, feel free to let the world know,” Fangs swiped the other controller and the unlit rollie from the ashtray.

Sweet Pea’s tongue ran along his bottom lip, a half eye roll. “Betty and Jughead know.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter before Fangs could even ask. 

Fangs lit up, inhaling and exhaling rings. There was a teasing smug stupid grin on his face, “Betty knows you’ve been fucking her best friend. What a hilarious concept.” Pea shoved Fangs’ shoulder hand, causing him to laugh and half choke. He passed the joint to set up the gameplay. 

“Almost as hilarious and you and Keller.”   
  
“Never intentionally kept it a secret, therefore, irrelevant. Nice try.”

 

The long haul of the afternoon had the two sitting on the couch with Call of Duty on the flat screen. There was plenty of yelling at the television and several  _ “Jesus, fuck!” _ from Fangs; his Catholic mother wouldn’t be too impressed with his word choice. He let the controller drop to the couch, getting up with a huff to go find a drink from the fridge. Sweet Pea placed his hands behind his head as he stretched out his legs across the table in front of him. 

“My point is-- from four hours ago--just date her, who cares?”

Fangs always found a way to circle back to a previous conversation he couldn’t let go. “You’re forgetting the big implication.”

“Which is?”

“Under the floorboards in our closets are a stash of drug money, which if you have forgotten, is illegal. Along with MK25s,” Pea’s chest fell heavily as he breathed at. “I can’t get her involved in this shit.”

Fangs nodded along. That was a negative factor within this, they couldn't get too close. The only reason Betty was involved in this was because she forced her way in to be there for Jughead after an incident that occurred the second summer after they graduated high school. Fangs knew Sweet Pea was torn up about it, he didn’t have to say anything but he simply knew. 

“Sometimes you gotta say fuck it and bite the bullet,” Fangs returned with two bottles of Ballast Points. He twisted off each cap with the palm of his hand, handing one over to Pea. Sweet Pea took a long sip of the beer, hitting X on the controller as the multiplayer option was glowing on the start screen.

It was another hour or so later was Toni was pushing her way through their door with her own key. It was for everyone’s best interest that she had one. Her face twisted at the stench of marijuana and cigarettes. “God, would you guys open a window or something,” she muttered to them. Toni crossed the room and opened one of the windows. “It smells like a frat house in here.” She turned, unsurprised with their attention being focused on a video game.

“I need to talk to you guys, it’s important,” Toni announced, walking to the couch. There was zero eye contact from them.

“Can it wait five minutes?” Fangs asked. 

Toni frowned, eyes narrowed as she placed herself in front of the TV. “I wouldn’t have sprinted my ass down here if it wasn’t serious.” Both boys leaned over either end of the couch to see around Toni, Fangs motioning her with his hand to move aside. She turned on the heel of her shoe and unplugged the TV. “Listen to me, this affects all of us, especially Sweets!”

They sighed. Sweet Pea placed his controller on the table. “What is it?”

“I know who Indigo’s working with, and he doesn’t know I know,” Toni started. Easily this peaked their attention causing them to sit up properly. “I was going to go see him this evening but when I got there, there were two black SUVs, similar to the ones from when he kicked us out. So I waited across the street and who walked out the back door? Hiram Lodge.”

The room fell silent for ten seconds. Fangs eyes were wide and Sweet Pea’s chest tightened.

**Implication #1:** Drugs.   
**Implication #2:** Hiram Lodge.

Sweet Pea got up from the couch, his feet pacing the floor. 

Fangs wasn’t fully convinced. “Are you sure you saw Hiram? On a scale of one to ten, ten being--”

“Why would she lie, Fangs?” Pea cut in. “ _ Shit _ .”

“I don’t know the details, maybe it’s nothing…” Toni trailed as she took a minute to think. It was definitely something, none of them waited to actually say it though. 

This information presented a new difficulty. Sweet Pea’s mind was reeling back and forth over the  potential outcomes. What could he do now? What could they do? His mind was still buzzing from the nicotine and weed which wasn’t helping the situation. He could feel a headache forming rapidly. 

“We’re going to have to tell Betty and Jughead tomorrow so they can help figure something out,” Toni chimed in again. “We can get out of it.”

“No we can’t, we’re in deep. We’ve been buried since high school,” Pea shot at her. 

Fangs agreed. “The only way out is to run or have a staycation in the Woodlawn Cemetery.”

“We’re going to figure it out, we always do,” Toni retorted. “So, in the meantime, just chill out.”

Sweet Pea disappeared into his room. He retrieved his jacket and once he was by the front door, he pulled on his shoes. He needed to go off on his own for a while. 

“Listen--” Toni grabbed his arm before he was out. She wasn’t sure was she was supposed to say, or if she should say anything. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“No promises,” he mumbled and pulled his arm out of her grasps.

Toni looked back at Fangs. He gave her a shrug. There was nothing more they could do when Sweet Pea got into a mood. They’d wait it out.

The day had been a long one for Veronica. She wore her best Princess smile all afternoon and into the evening. Her selective words and her well-educated mind swayed the socialites of New York to go in her direction of the Christmas Charity Gala with a silent auction and live entertainment. Veronica knew over the next month she would have a lot on her plate but it’d give her something to keep her occupied. Her body eased onto her mattress, her soft sheets wrapping around her. She was tired yet her mind still jumping all over the place as she shut her eyes. 

In the pitch black of the room, her phone lit up on her nightstand with two vibrates and a quiet chime of a text message. Veronica turned herself over, extending her arm to reach for the plugged-in phone. Her eyes squinted at the brightness seeing SP pop up on the home screen.

**_You awake? I’m at Oliver’s in the back booth._ **

The time read just after 10:30pm. Without a second thought, Veronica was putting back on her plum dress from the day and sliding on flats, grabbing her purse and phone, and running a quick brush through her hair. She grabbed a coat on her way out. Maybe she was just some booty call, but Veronica tried to stay optimistic that whatever it was between them would flourish into something more. That cliche question of  _ “What are we?”  _ that constantly lingered between them weighed heavily on her.

She left her home undetected. At a snap of her fingers, there was a taxi pulling into the valet and she slipped inside the backseat. Twenty minutes and one text later, Veronica was at Oliver’s. They were only open for another hour but she had a feeling Sweet Pea had been four drinks in already. She stepped into the place, taking a quick glance around until she saw him. Sweet Pea looked a little tired like she did. She scooched her way along the faux leather of the circle booth to be next to him. 

“Everything okay?”

He nodded, sipping his drink. “Yeah, just a weird fucking day.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not particularly.” 

Veronica nodded. She ordered a drink when a waitress passed by. She shrugged off her coat, glancing back at Sweet Pea. He was quieter than usual, obviously something on his mind but she wasn’t going to push him. Veronica trailed her fingertips up his arm to get his attention back from staring at the beer bottle. 

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” he nodded.

There was slight hesitation with Veronica; her mouth was partially open to start a question. Her drink arrived first, smiling politely she said thank you and took a quick sip from the skinny straw. “Perhaps I’m reading this entire situation wrong, but…”

“You’re not.”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”

Sweet Pea shifted in the booth, his posture growing taller as he straightened up and turned his body inward to face her. “I do, actually. Fangs and I were talking about it earlier.”

That brought an amused smile to her lips. “Do you and Fangs have girl talks? I’m intrigued, carry on.” Veronica placed her hand under her chin, continuing to grin at him.

Pea breathed out a laugh through his nose. He licked his lips, and became a little more serious again. “Look-- I don’t do this. So I don’t know how to go about it.”

“I can tell you that’s it not much different then what we’ve been doing. Except being public, so that our friends know.”

“They know. Well, Fangs and Toni have for months. Betty and Jughead figured it out as of this morning,” he told her. “They seem cool with us.”

Veronica nodded. That was a good thing at least, no one seemed to be pissed or uneasy with the possibility of this being more than what is had been. She didn’t want to shift the dynamic of the group. 

It was delicate on both ends; Sweet Pea had several skeletons in a closet that was shut tight, and now the burning new information that Veronica’s father was involved somehow in the shady business. However for the two hours he sat there alone before she arrived, he figured maybe he could protect her if he kept her close. 

As for Veronica, this boy she liked wasn’t Archie. Her parents had loved Archie, especially her father. He was mainstream material, proper, from a good family in a decent enough neighbourhood. An Andrews and a Lodge were a good match. It was safe. But Veronica didn’t want to stay in that box of safety. Feelings were feelings.

Sweet Pea’s fingers curled under Veronica’s chin, pulling her attention back from her own thoughts. He wanted to try to be something more, even if under the surface it was all fucked up. He watched as she took his hand away from her face, holding onto it and began to trace the lines of his tattoo around his thumb. His other hand had found a comfortable place on Veronica’s thigh, creeping its way under the fabric of her dress. 

“We’re on the same page, correct?” Veronica wanted clarification. If they were going to do this, it’s wasn’t going to be some type of fling. The lingering void in her was from Archie slipping out of her fingers so easily, so quickly. It wasn’t bad blood, but the sting still appeared every now and again. 

Pea leaned forward, attaching her lips to Veronica’s. Her eyes fluttered shut at the temporary gentle kiss. “I like you, what else do you want me to say?” he murmured against her mouth. “We’re on the same page. Just remember where I come from. It’s not the same as your life.”

“I don’t care,” she replied. “I like walking on the wild side. I just like being with you.”

He smirked, pleased with her answer. “Careful with your words.”

“I’ll do as I please,” Veronica took her drink to sip on, watching him through her lashes. “A Lodge makes the rules, and breaks them when necessary.”

“Noted,” his smirk intensified. 

Sweet Pea was ready to leave by the time Veronica was finished her drink. She decided on going back with him since it was closer walk and the selfish side of her wanted to take up all his time. It was sprinkling rain as they left Oliver’s, followed by a significant rainfall as they made it halfway to his apartment. Veronica covered herself with Pea’s jean jacket as they hurriedly ran to the building. His hand pressed to the small part of her back, escorting her inside. Their clothes were soaked through and Veronica attempted to keep her laughter to a minimal as they entered his home so Fangs wouldn’t wake up. 

Quietly, Sweet Pea closed and locked the door, going to retrieve Veronica a towel. She hung his jacket on the back of the chair at the kitchen table to dry out overnight. Strands of her raven hair stuck to the sides of her face as she took a moment to look around the dark living room. Veronica had been here twice before, both times for less than five minutes. It seemed to be homey for the boys, lived in, only slightly messy, but not in shambles. 

She turned as Sweet Pea returned with a towel, handing it to her and silently followed him to his bedroom. “Safer in here than out there with the ghost.”

“What?” She half laughed, squeezing her hair with the towel.

“Fangs thinks our apartment is haunted. Apparently, things move around.”

“Can you confirm this?”

“Nah,” he removed the belt from the loops of his jeans, hanging it over his closet door. “I think it’s a bunch of bullshit but he swears it’s true.” He tugged off his drenched flannel and the black t-shirt underneath, leaving them in his laundry basket. 

“I’ll have to ask him about it some time,” she mused, her eyes scanning his room.

It was more simple than she had imagined, not that she had imagined too much. Surprisingly everything was put away or in a specific space. There were two posters up, a smaller TV in the corner and a wooden crate with some vinyls next to a simple four-legged desk with a chair that had a laptop perched on top. At the corner of his desk leaned a small cork board against the adjacent wall. She didn’t stare too long but did catch sight of a few ticket stubs and pictures tacked to the board. It brought warmth to her thinking that maybe there was more to him then the surface, there had to be. 

Sweet Pea’s hand touched her shoulder, moving down to unzip her dress. He was certain this dress cost more than all of his clothes combined and it was dry clean only material, but he was also pretty keen to get her out of it for personal purposes. Veronica disrobed and rested the dress on the back of the desk chair. Pea’s lips attached to Veronica’s neck, kissing down her throat to her collarbone and back up again. Her hands rested against his chest, feeling his damp cold skin beneath her fingertips as their feet found their way to the bed. His hands were playful re-exploring her entire body.

Their bodies tangled in the bed sheets, soft moans with lip biting and nail markings tattooing skin. Quiet giggles and whispers until one of them fell asleep first. The sun rose, casting a ray into the bedroom along the bed and up the wall. Veronica stirred, blinking the blurriness away. She settled into Sweet Pea’s side, him laying on his stomach, arms under the pillow and her head resting on his shoulder. The small clock on his desk read 7:53am and she internally sighed knowing she actually had things she needed to accomplish today with the Gala. Another minute and Veronica got up, plucking a t-shirt from his closet to go quickly get a drink. Easily she found a clean glass and got some orange juice from the fridge.

“Morning, Veronica.”

Fangs startled her, almost pouring the juice onto the floor. “Don’t do that!” She turned to look at him. He was dressed, all ready for the day ahead of him.

He smirked, amused. “Nice shirt, think I’ve seen it before.” He grabbed his boots from the front door, sitting to put them on. 

A firm line formed on her lips as she slowly drank her juice, eying him from across the room. She softened a moment later. “Did you hear us?”

“Nah,” he shook his head. “I’ve been told I could sleep through an earthquake so you’re cool.”

Fangs finished tying up his boots, standing back up. “Tell him I’ll get him breakfast since he’s going to be late for work.”

Veronica nodded, “Will do.”

He saluted her a goodbye, going on his way. She sighed, finishing her juice and rinsing out the glass before leaving it in the sink. Sweet Pea was still fast asleep when she returned. Her dress was perfectly dry along with her undergarments, and she got herself back into her own clothes. She sat back on the bed, combing her fingers through Pea’s hair that got him to shift. 

“Fangs just left for work,” she murmured. “You’re going to be late.”

“Probably,” he rolled himself onto his back keeping his eyes closed. She smiled at his sleepy voice, it was raspy and breathy. 

“He said he’s going to get you breakfast, and as for me, I have to go and start planning this Gala.”

Sweet Pea opened one of his eyes. “Sounds lame.”

Veronica smiled, leaning down to kiss him. “I’m going to say the B word, so don’t freak out.”

“What’s the B word?”

“ _ Boyfriend _ .”

He took a moment to faux ponder it. “Doesn’t sound that bad, I guess.”

“Exactly, but seriously, get up and go to work. I’ll call you later, boyfriend.”

Sweet Pea pulled her back before she could go. He brought her down to his chest, his arm going around her back to keep her close as he kissed her again, this time more tenderly. “I gotta go,” she mumbled.

“No, you don’t.”

“Sweet Pea…” Veronica caught his hand just before it found its way to the hem of her panties. “Later.”

“Already making the rules, I see.”

Veronica smirked, getting off the bed. “Go shower and get to work,” she grabbed her purse, wiggling her fingers at him as she left. A giddy smile was painted on Veronica’s lips as she exited the apartment building, getting herself a taxi nearby. 

Her head leaned back against the leather seat, clutching her pearls as she replayed the events of the night before. It stirred up butterflies in her stomach, ones she didn’t want to disappear for a long time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr: jinglejanglejones :)


	6. Cagney and Lacey

An early day at the shop meant business. Another shipment of cocaine was arriving in later that night on a freight ship for them to pick up Indigo’s share and to be distributed throughout New York City. The NYPD were always following trails but luckily for them, none of those had their names attached. Jughead, Fangs and Sweet Pea were teamed for the task since it was a bigger shipment than normal. This rose some suspicion but it was nothing to be too overly concerned about. Toni got up from the chair she was sitting after FP was finished his spiel. It felt like she needed to give a presentation to the class but this was actually important. 

“So,” Toni began. “To skip the bullshit, Hiram Lodge is involved with Indigo. I don’t know how or why. But I saw him leaving Nighthawks the other night.”

Betty’s eyes blinked multiple times while Jughead’s expression read confused. FP shifted his weight on the stool, arms folded over his chest with his head shaking. 

“Perhaps an unnecessary question but are you sure?” Jughead asked.

“I asked the same thing,” Fangs mumbled under his breath.

Toni glanced through the group. “Clean shaven man, perfectly coiffed hair, Armani suit with two all black tinted SUVs, looking stupid rich? Yeah, I’m pretty damn sure it was him.”

The room grew silent with everyone lost in their own thoughts. Jughead glanced over to Sweet Pea who had his head tilted down, flicking his knife open and closed as a distraction. His gaze then moved to Betty beside him; she seemed uneasy considering Veronica was her best friend. They were all tangled in an illegal web that continued to get more complicated. 

FP got up from the stool. “Keep your heads down and business will be business. Don’t go slithering around a snake’s den,” he slapped a wad of papers against the wall as he entered his office, closing the door. 

Fangs rose from the couch, stepping up and onto the old table to get over it instead of going around. He went ahead and turned on the neon OPEN sign and went to check through the appointments for the day. Betty rubbed her hands along her jeans, her mind was motoring as she went over to Toni.

“If you ever want to, you know, slither around I’d be more than happy to help,” Betty offered quietly, slipping her hands into her back pockets. “I am quite the Olivia Benson.”

Toni quirked a brow at her blonde friend. She looked behind Betty seeing Jughead going to talk to his dad and Sweet Pea still in his same chair. “Boys can’t know,” she whispered. “I need to know what my cousin’s getting into, what he’s doing.”

Betty nodded along. “Absolutely. And for Veronica’s sake… with whatever her and Sweet Pea are doing.”

“You know about that?”

“Kind of.”

Toni laughed faintly, “Yeah… Now that there’s more to this, a third party situation that is Hiram Lodge... I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” 

“Completely understandable.”

“So how’s tomorrow at ten sound? It’s usually dead in there and no one will suspect a thing.”

“Ten it is.” Truthfully, Betty couldn’t wait to dig her nose into something that was on the cusp of being but not being her business. Her curious mind was sparking with excitement yet at the same time she was cautious. If they could figure out was the intent was it could benefit them in the long run. 

Toni and Betty parted to do their own tasks for the day. The shop was mostly quiet conversation wise; metal clanged and power tools drilled. Toni was chipper at the front desk towards the customers, they were regulars and good business. Sweet Pea took over when Toni went to go eat her packed lunch. He clicked around on the computer as he had the landline between his cheek and shoulder. The bell of the door chimed as another customer walked. He could see the figure out of the corner of his eye, finishing up on the phone. 

“I don’t recall you ever driving.”

“For your information, I do have my license but there is zero point for me having to drive in this city.”

Sweet Pea snickered, swivelling to face Veronica across the desk. They were together, officially, which was a foreign concept to a guy that never got himself into something so serious. However, Veronica was different, cliche but true.

“What’s in the box?” he asked, looking at the white box with a ribbon bow perfectly tied on her hands.

“Something sweet I thought I’d bring by,” she looked down at the box then back at him. “Maybe if you’re nice I’ll share. But for now, where is Betty? We’re going to lunch.”

“I’m here.” Betty came from the back with her coat draped over her arm as she walked towards them. She stopped by the desk and looked between her two friends, smiling. “Shall we go?”

“Yes,” Veronica nodded. She left the box of goodies on the desk and warned Sweet Pea not to touch until they got back. “See you later,” she winked before looping her arm with Betty to leave. The bell dinged again as they left the shop. Sweet Pea tapped the capped end of his pen against the desk as he looked at the box. He moved it to the side on a shelf so he wouldn’t be tempted to open and ruin the delicately tied ribbon. 

His fingers went back typing on the keyboard, curious as to what the girls were up to for their lunch. He knew that perhaps he’d be a hot topic of the lunch hour, not that he minded. He was sure Veronica would most likely tell him about it later. The phone rang again, another booking for an oil change with the bonus of a broken tail light. Sweet Pea filled in the time until Toni returned from her break, going off to eat his own food.

Betty tugged Veronica into a booth at Oliver’s. Two menus were placed in front of them by Denise, going off to get them waters. It was buzzing during the lunch hour; Oliver’s had a small selection of food and it was always delicious. Veronica flipped open the menu, scanning over the items. 

“How’s everything going with Lodge Industries?” Betty questioned casually. 

“Same as usual,” Veronica replied. “My dad was in a meeting this morning, doors closed to his study. He’s meeting with new proposals for land space in the Bronx, actually. So once he comes to a decision I’ll step in to make sure everything is up to code, sharp corners and no edges cut.” 

Betty nodded along. “Do you know what kind of space he’s looking at?”

“I haven’t heard a lot about this one…” Veronica thought aloud. The dinner table was mute from business talk recently. 

Denise placed their waters in front of them, taking out a pad of paper and pen for their orders. “Cooper, chicken wrap with fries and Veronica, cobb salad with the dressing on the side. Right?”

“At this point Denise, you don’t even have to bring us menus,” Betty laughed. “Also, I’m going to bring Jughead back something. Bacon cheeseburger--”

“No pickle,” the three said in unison.

Denise smiled, jotting it down. She took the menus and went to punch in their orders. Veronica straightened out her posture, shrugging off her light jacket. Her fingers combed through her dark hair. “Aren’t you hot? It’s so warm outside today.”

Betty looked at her clothing. She was wearing one of Jughead’s old flannel’s that had shrunk in the wash. The sleeves were not rolled up, in fact, at the thought of it Betty tugged them down even more. The bruise on her arm was finally calming down although still very noticeable. 

“I’m alright,” she replied with a small smile. 

Veronica smoothed out her skirt with a nod, her lips curling around the straw to sip her water. “I have news to share, which is why I suggested lunch.” Veronica looked to Betty.

“Good or bad?”

“Good news… Different news… Don’t hate me news.”

“V, if it’s good news then I doubt I would hate you,” Betty countered. 

“Perhaps the right word is controversial,” she said. “Dynamic changing, which I don’t want it to be. I’m kind of dating Sweet Pea.”

A bright grin lined Betty’s lips. She propped her elbows up onto the table, her hands curled under her chin. “Say it, he’s your boyfriend.”

Veronica laughed lightly, glancing away for a moment before turning back. “He’s very much my boyfriend.”

“When you called me over to talk about Archie, I saw your phone and he texted you. I got suspicious,” Betty told her. “I was half clueless,” she knew that was because she had other things that clouded her mind of being observant. 

“That was the point, it was meant to be under wraps. We didn’t want to ruin anything with you guys. It started as one thing then turned into another. It just happened,” the raven-haired girl explained. “I want to take it day by day and see how it pans out.”

Betty grinned, “V, I’m sure it’s going to be just fine. You’re both severely strong people who could do great things together. I think it’s romantic.”

Veronica didn’t realize until that moment that there had been some form of stress weighing her down. And now that she was openly talking about it to Betty it was slowly lifting. She felt giddy, almost childish simply from the happiness that it brought her. It was true; Sweet Pea and Archie were two completely different people. Each of them brought out different sides of her.

“This is going to be a good thing,” Betty interrupted Veronica’s thoughts. “Different but good, new and exciting. I wish I had been a fly on the wall.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Um, everything!” Betty laughed. “I can confidently assume it was just messing around at first.”

Veronica nodded, “Fourth of July - when Fangs got silly drunk. Pea and I shared a taxi, I invited him inside and we drank, tried playing twenty questions but it didn’t exactly pan out that way…” With her words faded, a slow smirk appeared as she brought her glass of water up to her lips. “Somehow it became more than that, too. We’d hang out and talk and watch movies and now we’re here.” 

Betty loved hearing about the little romance story. Her elbow was propped up onto the table with the palm of her hand pressed to her cheek. After a moment, Betty’s realty kicked in with Hiram, Indigo and the drugs. There was worry building in the pit of her stomach along with nerves. Veronica had kept a secret but it was so innocent compared to what Betty and the others were keeping locked up tight. Perhaps it’d be nothing, or maybe it was something. Betty’s eye snapped up to Denise who brought out their hot food, sliding the plates across the table to her and Veronica. 

“I’ll bring out Jughead’s food once you’re done,” Denise smiled.

“Thanks, Denise,” Betty replied. 

Betty turned her head as Veronica let out a frustrated sigh. “The caters’ are double booked. They know the Gala is the first Saturday in December, it’s the same every single year,” Veronica’s fingers typed quickly on her phone with her nails making a tapping sound. 

“You should play the Mayor McCoy card.”

“Trust me, B. A whole royal flushed is about to be revealed. Also, I need to know the name of the florist your mom uses. I’m trying to go bring attention to the hidden gems of the city.

Betty nodded, “Yeah of course. I’ll ask her tonight and let you know.” 

“You and Jughead are going to come, right?” Veronica glanced over. “I have you two and your mom on the list, your mom is under the media list.”

“My mom’s already been talking about what to wear and who she can get the best gossip from, so chances are I’ll be there to help her out. Are you going to invite Sweet Pea?”

“Do you think he’d come to something to swanky?”

Betty shrugged, biting into her chicken wrap, “For you, he would. It’s not his scene but I’m sure he’d go and he’ll have Juggie so they both can roll their eyes and play drinking games on the pish posh patrons.” 

Veronica broke out into a soft laugh, starting on her salad. She had to admit that she’d love to see Sweet Pea dressed up for an evening; her imagination could only produce so much. 

The bell of the shop rang as they girls returned after their lunch. Betty handed over the styrofoam box with the burger and fries to Jughead and he was more than delighted to finally be devouring his lunch. Veronica took the pastry box from the front desk and weaved her way through the shop, carefully stepping over cords in her heels. 

“I’m impressed you didn’t eat one,” she mused to Sweet Pea. He was crouched down working patching the back wheel on a motorcycle that had run over a nail. The owner was lucky enough that it was in the middle so he didn’t have to go out and buy a new set of tires. 

“Had to tell Fangs and Jones to do work instead of lingering around the front desk,” he rose to his feet and tossed the reamer tool onto the counter. “So you should be thanking me for doing my civic-duty,” his arms folded across his broad chest with a cheeky grin.

Veronica rolled her eye playful, tipping her head to the side as she looked up at him. “Look at you, taking charge and keeping the boys in order.” Veronica untied the ribbon to the box and presented the delicious treats to Sweet Pea. “Pick one.”

Sweet Pea peered into the box seeing a mixture of different treats before settling on the eclair. “Where are these from?”

“Maison Kayer. I stopped at the one on Third Ave before coming up here.”

Sweet Pea took a big bite of the eclair and easily it was one of the best he had ever had (no kidding, it was a French shop anyway). Veronica reached up and wiped away a small piece of whipped cream from the corner of his mouth. 

“This is adorable, but I’ve waited an hour for this so…” Fangs interjected. He plucked a tart with a content expression crossing his face. “As you were.”

Sweet Pea darted a look at Fangs as he shuffled away. Veronica quickly got his attention back with her hand running down his arm and interlacing their fingers together. “So tonight--”

“I can’t,” Sweet Pea was abrupt and he could see it caught her off guard. “I have to watch my niece, but her birthday is coming up soon, did you want to come to that?”

“Would that be okay?”

“Yeah, they’ll all be there too,” he motioned to their friends. “Along with a bunch of thirteen-year-old girls.”

“Of course, I’ll be there.” 

There was brief hesitation between the two bodies. Both were gravitating towards the other for the affection and the gratitude. Breaking the boundaries that once laid between them and the outside world felt like they were shattering one-way glass. Veronica gave Sweet Pea a subtle nod with their lips brushing together in a timid kiss. 

FP opened the door to his office with a few invoices in his hand. He paused on his way to Toni catching a glimpse of Sweet Pea and Veronica at the other end of the shop. A caution flag rose considering the information Toni had brought up this morning. FP placed the papers in front of Toni, asking her to enter them into the system. The back room was quiet with Jughead eating and watching a video on his phone. FP entered to get himself a fresh coffee. 

“Do I need to be concerned about what I just saw outside?”

Jughead’s brows knitted together, pulling his phone on the table. “What did you see?”

“Sweet Pea and Veronica Lodge. What’s that about?” FP turned around, leaning against the counter as he stirred cream into his coffee. 

Jughead dusted the sesame seeds of the hamburger bun off onto his jeans. “It’s new from what I understand. I don’t know a lot about it.”

“From what Toni said to this morning, this could be compromising for all of us, Jughead.”

“I know, dad, I think he knows that too,” the younger Jones nodded. Jughead wasn’t overly certain with the situation when things could get messy quick. “If Hiram Lodge is getting in dirty then we’ll figure out how to handle it. She’s Betty’s best friend as well.”

FP simply nodded along, his shoulders rising and falling in an unsure breath. “I’m going to trust your judgement, Jug. Guide your friends in the right direction.”

 

Jughead weaved his fingers together, licking the corner of his lip free of ketchup. His father’s words were ironic but the intention for good was there. When night fell, Jughead was running different scenarios through his mind of the  _ what-ifs  _ and the  _ maybes. _

“Jones, would you relax? You’re shaking the whole damn car,” Sweet Pea’s eyes were narrowed at the hatless boy in the passenger seat. Jughead hadn’t realized his foot was tapping and leg was jittering from his way off daze. His beanie was clenched in his hand. “What’s your problem? We’ve done this a hundred times before.”

“No problem, simply speculating.”

“Speculating what?” Fangs asked from the backseat. He had a cheek full of sunflower seeds for his nighttime snack. 

“What intentions Hiram Lodge has with Indigo and the drugs. What does he need the money for when Lodge Industries owns half of Manhattan?” Jug elaborated. “What’s the benefit of cocaine?”

Fangs spat some shells out of Sweet Pea’s cracked window. “What rich guy isn’t shady these days—“

“—Don’t get shells in my car.” Pea cut in.

“They’re all embezzling money and shit, having offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands,” Fangs continued. “Fast money, easy money to bag and deposit without a trace.”

Jughead tipped his head back as he thought. Fangs had a point and it was believable. The rich simply wanted to get richer at any cost. It wouldn’t have been too surprising if that’s what Hiram was playing at.

“Let’s go,” Sweet Pea opened the car door and his long legs got him out of the car. He adjusted his leather jacket, collar popped with the sleeves pushed up his forearms. Jughead and Fangs followed within the same stride as they crossed the pavement to the warehouse.

The lights were dim, a few tables were set up with laptops and motorcycles lined up against the wall. Three burly large men were standing by, tough exteriors and waiting to pounce if anyone stepped out of line.

“My, my, boys, it’s been a while.”

“Brave you’re showing your face in New York after what you did, Penny,” Jughead mused, his arms folding over his chest. 

“Indigo and I have let bygones be bygones, Jughead. I suggest you and your pals do the same,” Penny slipped onto of her hands into the front pocket of her jeans. Fangs made a disgruntled noise catching her attention. “What was that, Fogarty?”

Fangs snapped his eyes to Penny, shifting his weight from one foot to another, “Are we going to sit around and play catch up or can we be on our way?”

Penny’s laugh simulated a witch’s cackle. She turned on the heel of her boot, going over to one of the tables that had three duffle bags. She tossed one to each of the boys, Sweet Pea taking a step back from the sudden weight. The bags were heavier than usual which posed a few questions, but he didn’t have time for Penny Peabody to be hounding them with threats. He wasn’t in the mood for arguments tonight. 

“Run along, kids, don’t want to stay out past your curfew,” Penny’s wide smile was anything but friendly; it was wicked and malevolent. 

The boys turned away and exited the warehouse towards Sweet Pea’s car. The bags were tossed into the trunk, all doors being slammed shut.

“What the  _ fuck _ is Penny doing back here?” Fangs’ voice raged. “Bygones be bygones? Is that a fucking joke?”

An apprehensive sigh quietly left Sweet Pea’s chest as he started the car. Neither he nor Jughead said anything; Jughead was swimming in his own thoughts again. “I hope you’re both remembering that she held a gun to Toni’s head,” Fangs grumbled. 

The car lurched forward with Sweets pounding the gas pedal to the floor; the tires spun out before taking off back down the main drag in the direction of Brooklyn. Each of the boys was silent but the air surrounding them was uneasy. Nighthawks was packed, the music bouncing off each wall and vibrating their bones as the group wandered in through the side door. Behind the red door and the coloured veil of beads sat Indigo and his goons, laughing and smoking. 

Indigo tapped the bare back of the olive-skinned female sitting on his lap. She had on a short pleather skirt and shirt (or lack thereof) that just settled under her boobs. She got up, whisking herself away with her drink to the two other girls in the room. 

“Jones, Sweet Pea, Fogarty!” Indigo welcome them. He stood from the chair, stubbing out his cigarette into an ashtray place on the table in front of him. The table was messy with poker chips, traces of excess cocaine and marijuana. There were empty beer bottles and rolling papers scattered as well. 

“Penny back on your payroll?” Jughead questioned.

Indigo laughed, rubbing his hands together, “It’s all about the connections, Jones. I didn’t let her back in without warning. I told her this is probation.”

“Probation? She threatened to kill Toni,” Fangs countered. “Right here in this room, right where you’re standing.”

“Look, it’s business. Peabody gets paid, and you guys get paid. If you don’t like the extra cash that makes your life cushiony then I’m sure slummin’ it at FP’s shop will get you by,” Indigo motioned for Cypress to take the bags off them. “So do you want the paper or are y’all still bitchin’?”

Jughead and Fangs exchanged an unimpressed glance before faltering. Fangs simply shook his head, running his fingers through his coiffed hair. Indigo took their silence as a win, going to retrieve their earnings from the safe. Each dollar bill was in order, a little heftier due to the amount of cocaine they picked up. The boys left, snaking their way back through the club to the brisk autumn night. Jughead walked ahead of Fangs and Sweet Pea.

“Gonna tell me why you’ve said nothing the entire night?” Fangs asked his taller friend. 

Pea wasn’t even surprised by the question since he had been mute compared to his vocal tendencies. His balance altered when Fangs stopped him, pushing him back slightly. “Don’t,” Sweet Pea grumbled. 

“Don’t? I don’t think you under--”

“I understand, Fangs! I fucking get it. Penny’s back in, she threatened Toni. I was there, I remember,” he shouted, shoving Fangs’ shoulder back. “The entire thing is shady as hell but we can’t be going around asking shit, we’ll get fucking screwed.” 

Fangs’ lips were glued into a firm line, staring up before casting his eyes away. “ _ Puta madre,”  _ he muttered under his breath.

Jughead had been leaning against the car, arms folded with his forever tired eyes looking far too unamused. “Are you two done?” he called.

Another moment of silence engulfed the car. Fangs was pissed, Sweet Pea was annoyed and Jughead popped two Advils from the headache of a night it had been. The room was pin-drop silent as Jughead told FP, Betty, and Toni what had happened. Toni was visibly uneasy. She took her belongings and left for the night, no one saying a single word. Everyone seemed to follow the trend, each departed to go home for the rest of the night.

When the morning came, Betty wasn’t expecting Toni to text her saying that things were good to go. She wanted to tell Toni it was fine and they didn’t need to go and investigate. There was always tomorrow and the day after that. Toni brushed it off. She had her time to think things over with Penny being back, now it was time to figure out what shit was happening. 

At ten o’clock, Betty had arrived at Nighthawks. Toni was standing outside of the side entrance, idly picking at the ends of her pink hair.

“Hey Toni,” Betty greeted softly. “Are you sure you still want to do this? We can go get some pancakes instead.”

Toni nodded, “We have to, Betty. It’s going to drive me insane if we don’t.”

They went ahead into the bar. It was quiet, one of the bartenders was in cleaning up the bar. He nodded towards Toni without a word. Nighthawks was completely different in the daylight. The bar floor was visible and it wasn’t crowded. Toni took a key out of her pocket, unlocking the red door and pushed it open. Indigo’s room was a little dirty with bottles but empty. Both girls began to search around to see if anything was strange. 

Toni went to the smaller room in the back where Indigo’s desk was. She flipped through papers and opened drawers. Betty stayed out in the main area. Nothing seemed out of sorts for her. She did, however, come across a jumbo box of condoms and pills. Her body shuddered, tossing them back onto the shelf behind the mini bar. 

“Betty!”

She was up in two seconds, moving her feet quickly. Toni had two legal sizes documents in her hands. Her brows were knit tightly with her eyes scanning. “What is it?” Betty asked.

“It’s a contract, from what I understand,” Toni handed one of the papers to Betty to read. “A building contract?”

Betty’s eyes narrowed at the paper. “That’s what it looks like. A split ownership by Hiram Lodge and Jalen Topaz. Hiram has seventy percent ownership.”

Toni’s head shook. Why? That was the question running through her mind. What happened that her cousin had to turn to Manhattan’s property king? The bar thrives, the side business was always bank. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “If he needed help, I could have helped him. I could have given him some money. This place has been in the family for years.”

Betty frowned. “I’m sorry, Toni. I’m sure there’s a responsible explanation for all of this.” 

Toni swiped the paper back from Betty, snapping a few pictures on her phone. Her gut was telling her to dig a little deeper, to search a little hard for more answers. There was nothing else to find unless she asked for answers. 

“Do you think Veronica knows?”

“I don’t know, she told me she hasn’t heard much,” Betty replied. She decided to try and be rational. “Unfortunately businesses fail all the time, so maybe this is good. The bar will stay and business will get better, more people will come.”

“What about Penny? What the hell is she back when shit like this is happening?” Toni questioned. “Whenever she’s around it’s always bad news, she brings in the plague of awful.”

Betty rounded the desk, going over to her friend. “We’ll figure it out, I promise. For now, we wait, we do what we do every day. Act like nothing is different, we do our job, get paid and go home.”

Toni nodded along. There was a small piece of relief from Betty’s comforting words yet there in the back of her mind was fear and doubt. She returned the papers to the desk, fixing everything to how it was when they arrived.

“Come on, let me buy you some pancakes, Coop.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr: wintersthor :)


End file.
